Arsenal legend Liam Brady shares damning verdict of Jorginho

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Arsenal legend Liam Brady has given his verdict on midfielder Jorginho. 

Jorginho has endured a difficult start to the new season. Having played very little football so far, the 31-year-old was thrown into the thick of the north London derby action when he replaced the injured Declan Rice at half-time in Arsenal’s recent 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur.

Jorginho had a nightmare in the middle of the park in the second half. His mistake, where he hesitated in possession and lost the ball to James Maddison, led directly to Spurs’ second goal of the game.

For a player with his technical ability and experience, it was an especially dreadful error for the usually reliable Jorginho to make. He continued to struggle for the rest of the game, seeming cautious and conservative when on the ball, rather than trying to drive Arsenal forward in search of a winner.

Mikel Arteta defended Jorginho after the match, but the 48-cap Italy international must prove that he can still be an effective member of this Arsenal squad. 

He will get the chance to demonstrate his worth as Rice continues to recover from his injury. Jorginho is likely to start this evening against Brentford in an EFL Cup clash. 

Jorginho victim of lack of Arsenal game time

However, Liam Brady has already made his mind up about the £12 million Italian. Speaking on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy podcast, he said, “Jorginho, I think he’s probably past his best, I don’t want to point a finger at him, everybody can make a mistake. But he also had [Martin] Odegaard in midfield, [Kai] Havertz in midfield and it was lightweight compared to a midfield with Declan Rice in there to be quite honest.”

As Brady’s damning verdict suggests, Jorginho may not be quite the player he once was, but his mistake against Spurs can likely be chalked up to rustiness. Prior to coming on against Arsenal’s bitter rivals, he had managed just 32 minutes of football in all competitions for the club so far this season. 

One of the reasons that Arteta must rotate his squad regularly this season is so that everyone remains sharp and is able to step up when called upon. Jorginho was caught cold against Spurs, to the detriment of Arsenal.