Paul Merson hopeful Jorginho does not flop like Alberto Aquilani
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson is hopeful that Jorginho has a good career with Chelsea and does not follow the same route as former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani. The Italy international was the Blues’ first signing under new manager Maurizio Sarri and he made his Premier League debut against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Merson highlighted Jorginho as the ‘proper player’ – a tag which was once associated with compatriot Aquilani. Nevertheless, the 50-year-old remains optimistic that Jorginho fares differently under the tutelage of Sarri, he said: “I think Jorginho is a proper player. You just hope he doesn’t end up like an Aquilani.When he came over to Liverpool, he had all those figures, he was the best passer in Italy.They don’t play the way we play. In Italy you get the ball off the goalie, you get your head up and you start spraying it left, right and centre.When Aquilani came over, he’d get the ball and somebody (would take it) and he’d be like ‘where’s the ball gone?’. So all them things will take time.”
Jorginho had a rather forgettable competitive debut against Manchester City in the Community Shield where he was outclassed by a young
Phil Foden on the opposite end. However, he managed to recover from the performance with a commendable showing at Huddersfield Town, “ where the Blues ended up winning by a comfortable 3-0 margin.
During the same game, Jorginho managed to score his maiden goal for the Blues via the penalty spot and the strike should give him more confidence heading into the future games. Chelsea entertain cross-town rivals Arsenal in this weekend’s encounter at Stamford Bridge and the game is set to have plenty of stake, given the Blues have struggled to dominate their rivals of late. They are presently without a win in six competitive games against the Gunners.