Arsenal star slammed for ‘diabolical’ mistake he made during international break

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Arsenal star Jorginho has been in good form for his club in recent weeks, but it has been a different story with the Italy National Team.

The midfielder missed yet another penalty for Italy in their victory over North Macedonia and has now been slammed by the Italian press.

The 31-year-old has been a regular penalty taker for his clubs and countries over the years, but his miss on Friday was his fourth in a row for Italy, and there have now been calls for him to be removed from penalty duty.

Arsenal star Jorginho slammed for missing penalty

Journalist Andrea Elefante has now slammed Jorginho in Gazzetta Dello Sport, claiming that he should never be allowed to take a spot-kick for his country again.

“To persevere would be diabolical. Jorginho must stop taking penalty kicks, at least for Italy. Never again,” he wrote.

Jorginho has scored six penalties for Italy, missing his last four, including one in the shootout against England during the final of Euro 2020, in which Arsenal star Bukayo Saka also missed from the spot.

Jorginho’s penalties

Jorginho’s strong overall record from the spot is in no small part down to his composure. He often takes slow run-ups, before calmly slotting the ball beyond the keeper rather than aiming for power.

However, it seems what was once his biggest strength is becoming a weakness, and Arsenal are the first club he has played for in a long time where he is not a penalty taker.

Saka, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira and Kai Havertz have all taken and scored penalties this season, with Jorginho low down in the pecking order when it comes to spot kicks. Perhaps his lack of penalties at club level has had an impact on his spot kicks when on international duty.

Jorginho has started regularly and played well in recent weeks, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that this new scrutiny on him does not affect the Italian’s form.

The veteran, whose long-term future remains unclear, has excelled at the base of midfield, allowing Declan Rice to push further forward, and with Arsenal aiming to sign a central midfielder in the January transfer window, Jorginho’s time as starter may not last too long.

Nevertheless, he is an important player for Arteta, and an important leader in the dressing room. Should he choose to stay and sign a contract extension, he can continue to be an excellent squad player, and continue to bring a wealth of experience at the top level to this young Arsenal side.