Fernandinho form means City don’t regret Jorginho miss
FOR ALL that Manchester City remain unbeaten and Chelsea are having something of a wobble, Jorginho might reasonably conclude he made the right decision in the summer.
Not because everything is going perfectly at Stamford Bridge, as he faces up to the challenges of adapting to the Premier League following his £57million move from Napoli.
But because dislodging Fernandinho from City’s midfield – his task had he chosen to accept it – might just have proved mission impossible.
Pep Guardiola’s City thought they had a deal in place to bring Jorginho to the Etihad as the manager searched for someone to back up his ageing Brazilian anchor.
Yet Fernandinho, 33, has been so good this term – arguably City’s player of the season – it is only slight exaggeration to suggest Jorginho could still have been waiting for his first Premier League start.
Guardiola, who saw the deal hijacked by Chelsea at the last minute, said: “It’s true that we spoke before the Community Shield and Jorginho decided to go there.
“He did not to come to compete with Fernandinho to be part of our team. I’m not going to say it is a bad decision though.
He knew the manager [Maurizio Sarri] from his time at Napoli, he knows the club – Chelsea are an exceptional club. So all the best.”
Jorginho has experienced a mixed start to life in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has certainly looked tough enough, picking up two yellow cards in his last three starts while being responsible for many crunching challenges, but plenty of observers believed Tottenham exposed a weakness in his game by pressing him in a 3-1 defeat late last month.
In addition, to make a place for the Italian, Sarri has pushed the consistent N’Golo Kante into a slightly more energetic box-to-box role with limited success.
In contrast Fernandinho, 33, appears to be getting better with age and Guardiola was effusive in his praise yesterday, calling him one of the best in the world in his
position. “What ‘Dinho’ has done not just this season but all the years we are together is incredible,” said the City boss. “I speak with many, many players and I understand completely that most of the good things we have in this moment are thanks to that guy.
“I’m very pleased for him and pretty sure with his personality he will continue that way. Few players can do what he does – few players all around the world. He can do virtually everything. He really is an incredible player.”
Guardiola, who called City’s victory at Stamford Bridge last season a turning point for their collective belief, said his team are readying themselves for a tough match in the early evening kick-off. “Last season winning there was more than three points. It showed we could do it,” he said. “It was an important step for last season, the first important game away against the last champions.
“In that moment, it was important to say we can go anywhere and deliver a good performance – winning and with a good performance.
“And since we have continued in that vein and now the target is to try to do it again.
“In these sort of games of course we want to win but I’m more focused on our behaviour – how we are as a team on those sort of stages. That’s what I want to see from my team.”