Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE’LL RAM IT HOME
Don’t tell Klopp, but Jorgensen’s favourite player is Ramos and he will copy his hero today to stop Aubameyang and Lacazette
JURGEN KLOPP may not like him but controversial Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos is the idol of Huddersfield defender Mathias Jorgensen.
Jorgensen, whose Town manager David Wagner is Klopp’s best mate (right), admires everything about the uncompromising Ramos, especially his win-at-all-costs attitude.
He feels the Spain star embodies Real Madrid and rates him the best centre-half in football.
“Sergio Ramos is the best central defender in the world,” said the Danish international.
“He’s just a great defender. He also has a lot of character, whether you like it or not. He scores goals, which for a defender is an amazing feat. No other centre-half in the world rivals his scoring percentage.
“The man’s won everything and yet he goes out there and he wants to win every game. He embodies Real Madrid. He goes out there to win every time.”
Ramos specialises in stopping opponents, as he cynically demonstrated against Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in last season’s Champions League final, and Jorgensen also looks for ways to nullify opponents, although by more legitimate means.
He has studied clips of Arsenal stars Pierre-emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in an attempt to find ways to keep them quiet today.
“When you’re up against top strikers like Aubameyang and Lacazette, you look for little traits, tells, how they like to set the play up, how they like to finish,” he said. “How can I give myself an advantage over them?
“But as we all know there is a reason why they score as many goals as they do because they are unpredictable. That makes it really exciting. It’s what you wish for when you come over here. You want to test yourself against the best in the world.
“You look for help from your team-mates and that’s what makes us a good defensive team.
We’re never isolated one against one, there’s always somebody helping you, so if one of them does get past you, there’s somebody else to make that tackle and save your a**.”
Jorgensen has blossomed into one of Huddersfield’s best performers during his two years at the John Smith’s Stadium.
The 6ft 2in defender, who is nicknamed Zanka after a character in the film ‘Cool Runnings’, has also weighed in with two goals to make him the Terriers’ joint-top scorer.
Denmark coach Age Hareide claimed earlier this season that he could play for a bigger Premier League side, comments which earned him a rebuke from Town gaffer Wagner. Jorgensen may even have signed for Arsenal as a kid – he had a trial with them in 2007 when he was 17. Arsene Wenger did not follow up his interest and instead Jorgensen joined FC Copenhagen because they offered him first-team football.
The 28-year-old has no regrets and said: “I did have a trial there. I trained with the first team under Arsene Wenger so there’s a bit of history there.
“I ended up moving to FC Copenhagen because they offered me firstteam football straight away.
“I’m playing now how I want to play and having success. It’s happy days.”