In another life, Jorginho may very well have lined up in a different shade of blue in Porto this Saturday.
The Brazil-born Italian international was on the verge of joining Pep Guardiola’s champions in 2018 as they sought to build a record 100-point season.
But things change. Chelsea announced the arrival of Maurizio Sarri as their new head coach and the appeal of teaming up with their Napoli coach in West London proved too strong.
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Jorginho has been Chelsea’s league top scorer this season with seven goals
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It’s a sliding door moment that Jorginho himself must remember and reflect on, especially given his experiences at Stamford Bridge.
With Sarri proving to be an unpopular appointment, the diminutive central midfielder has often been crossed out with the same brush.
Yet freed from the shackles of association, he has now established himself as a key element at the heart of Thomas Tuchel’s team. He could be ready to finally enter the hearts of Chelsea fans in case they call him at the Estadio do Dragao.
In the summer of 2018, it became clear that Jorginho was destined to become a Premier League player.
Napoli had just been led to the Serie A title by an unbridled Juventus team. Sarri’s team was praised for playing the most attractive football on the continent, and at the center was his number 8, pulling the strings.
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Pep Guardiola had wanted the Brazilian-born midfielder to join him at Manchester City
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Those performances had attracted the attention of the Premier League champions, who swooped in to seal a deal. They believed it was done. Sarri, recently announced as the replacement for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, made sure he wasn’t.
“We were close but in the end Jorginho decided to stay with Sarri,” Guardiola lamented at the time.
‘I’ve said before that I want players who want to come here. I didn’t want that. We tried, we thought it was done, but at the last twist he settled on Chelsea.
‘Nothing to say, but good luck at Chelsea. English football has an exceptional midfielder ”.
At first, Chelsea fans disagreed. Sarri-ball, loved in Italy, was hated at the Bridge, and Jorginho was the embodiment of this on the field.
Anger at the coach and style of play also led to resentment over his new recruit, who started all but one of his Premier League matches that season.
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Jorginho was brought to the club by Maurizio Sarri, who was unpopular with Chelsea fans.
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So intrinsic was the bond between Jorginho and Sarri that it was almost a given that he would follow the head coach to Juventus after just one season in England.
Instead, he stood his ground with Frank Lampard, with his selection now free of suspicions of preferential treatment.
Their automatic pick status suffered, but so did Chelsea, with the miraculous feat of finishing in the top four under a transfer embargo quickly forgotten after a difficult start to the 2020-21 campaign, as more than 200 million players failed. pounds on new faces. to start running.
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The Italian has played a key role in the club’s rebirth with Thomas Tuchel
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The blame for this was placed at Lampard’s feet for the table, as he paid for the slow start of his work. Jorginho himself was equally critical.
Look, I’ll be really honest here at Lampard. I think since he was a legend in the club, he skipped some necessary steps to learn before moving to a great club, “he told ESPN in Brazil.
“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience in other clubs. I think he came too early, skipped a few steps forward, and to be honest, he wasn’t ready for a job at this level. “
For a player who had yet to win over fans after two and a half seasons, it was a bold move to criticize a Stamford Bridge icon. It brought with it an inevitable reaction.
While some defended him, insisting that he had simply pointed out the obvious, fans opposed such an open attack on one of his enduring heroes.
On Twitter, some questioned whether he was deliberately trying to stoke fans’ feelings for him. Others suggested that it didn’t matter if he was right, they just didn’t want to hear it.
That brought Jorginho back to where he had started at Chelsea, on the pitch opposite the fans, facing directly against them.
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However, his form towards the end of the season has been cause for alarm for the club.
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With Thomas Tuchel, however, he had been able to let his football do the talking. The German has built his midfield on the rotation of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, with two playing at the same time.
Having been absent eight games with Lampard earlier this season, he was only unable to take the field twice in the second half of the league campaign with the former Paris Saint-Germain manager.
His performances in the Champions League were also praised, playing the 180 minutes in the knockout rounds against Porto and Real Madrid.
He has also made his mark in front of goal, shaking off early season problems from the penalty spot to land Chelsea’s unexpected role as top scorer in the Premier League this season thanks to his 12-yard improvement.
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His flagrant mistake against Arsenal almost cost the club its place in the Champions League
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After failing three times earlier in the campaign, once against Krasnodar and then against Liverpool and Arsenal in the league, Jorginho has scored each of the four penalties he has taken since Tuchel’s arrival, and will assume his duties should he be called on Saturday.
Being able to finish from 12 yards isn’t going to win over fans in its own right, and other elements of his game have still been cause for concern – his stint against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge earlier this month nearly undid all of his hard work. in getting back to the top four race.
Still, his influence on Tuchel’s side is undeniable, and there is a renewed sense of belonging instilled in the past few months.
‘How could I want to leave the club?’ he recently asked reporters this month after the possibility of an exit was discussed.
‘That’s not the point. It’s not even the point of talking about it now. I am two years older and like I said, I really feel at home here. So there is no point in even talking about it.
And we just started with Thomas [Tuchel] – We have a lot more to do here. ‘
Chelsea fans would want little more if Jorginho could help deliver the ultimate award on Saturday night.
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He could still make a strong contribution when Chelsea and City meet in the final in Porto.
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