by About an hour into Arsenal’s meeting with Aston Villa last weekend, David Raya ran towards the touchline during a break. Arsenal were chasing the game, and the goalkeeper was looking for guidance.
Raya, however, did not run towards the coaching staff. He wanted to talk tactics, but not with Mikel Arteta’s assistant team. Instead he wandered to the side of the field, where Jorginho was waiting for him.
With some excited hand gestures and frantic words, Jorginho reminded Raya of the game plan. He pointed up the field, indicating the left wing, and gave out the tactical instructions Raya needed. He looked for all the world like a manager training one of his players.
“I remember clearly,” says Jorginho. “He tried to play on the right side and I told him to play on the left side, because that’s what we trained before. We were just discussing what we trained. He came over to get this conversation and clear it up.”
Raya’s conversation was far from an isolated incident. During the first half at Villa Park, Jorginho stood on the sidelines and barked instructions. The records will show that he was a useless substitute but no one, and certainly no Arsenal players, would argue that Jorginho did not play his part.
Jorginho is not officially a player-coach but, more than anyone else at Arsenal, he is clearly a player who coaches. He did so against Villa, as Arteta served a ban for the touch, and has done so ever since he suddenly joined the club from Chelsea in January.
“It’s something that comes naturally,” he says. “When Mikel is there or when he is not. Even more so when it’s not there. He wanted to support the boys, trying to help them with advice that I could see outside the field, to improve them.”
Arteta may not rely on Jorginho’s body – Declan Rice is more likely to start in midfield – but he will certainly rely on his mind, whether the Italian international is on the pitch or not. On Friday, the Arsenal manager described Jorginho as “one of the most intelligent players” he has met.
“That’s one of my biggest strengths,” says Jorginho. “My brain. Because of what I have learned over the years. I just try to pass it on to the boys and help them grow, understand the game better.”
Jorginho’s attitude helps explain why he is so popular at Arsenal. He is one of the jokes in the dressing room, and one of the players who best understands the needs of football at this level.
“What I always try to bring is this experience, not just on the field but off it,” he says. “Take care of details in your life, talk to the boys when I see certain things and try to make everyone better. Everyone can improve. If you improve by one percent, two percent, three percent, and if I can help that, in the end you are closer to victory.
“The team and the boys are understanding the game more and more every day. They are listening and watching, trying to learn.”
When he speaks like this, Jorginho, who went into style this week, sounds almost fatherly. But he is still only 31, and he has so much to offer as a footballer in his own right. When he played, he rarely let Arsenal down. Indeed, he quickly managed to earn the trust of the club’s supporters, many of whom were initially convinced of his arrival.
Those doubts were understandable, given the struggles of previous players who swapped Chelsea for Arsenal, but Jorginho’s technical quality was quickly replaced by respect. Most fans now accept that he is a wise guy who is much needed in an emotional young team.
Jorginho did not expect to be an Arsenal player as January came to an end last season. The £12 million deal was completed with just two days left of the window. “I didn’t see it coming, to be honest,” he says, laughing. “I think it happened in less than 48 hours. Very, very fast.
“I saw the opportunity to work in a great project, to develop a team, and I felt that they wanted me to improve them, to bring good energy. I didn’t have to think too much.”
One of the many messages Jorginho sent to his teammates was that, in his words, “anything is possible”. With a CV like his, it’s easy to say. Jorginho was 15 when he moved from Brazil to Verona, living in an old monastery on €20 a week. From that challenging start to life in Europe, what he has achieved is most impressive.
In one year, from the spring of 2021, he won the Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup and European Championship. He also came third in the Ballon d’Or. He can never be accused of failing to maximize his talent.
“A little crazy,” he says of that golden period. “I didn’t see that coming, either. I didn’t have time to stop and understand what was happening, because in life and especially in football everything happens so fast. It was too much – it was too much in a row.
“It didn’t change me. I don’t think I’m going to change, at this age. It’s just so amazing what happened. You look back and see all the work you put in, it was worth it. I can share that with teammates, friends, my kids, anyone.”
We can be sure that the Arsenal players will be ready to listen and settle all. Few footballers have the experience of Jorginho, and few players are as willing to use those learnings to guide those around them. Jorginho may not be a coach in name but, in Arsenal’s case, he is in reality.
