During Arsenal’s victory over Everton, Jorginho was substituted at halftime by Mikel Arteta after admitting that he “wasn’t feeling good.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a tactical substitution during the team’s recent victory over Everton, replacing midfielder Jorginho at half-time. The decision was explained by Arteta, who revealed that Jorginho had expressed that he “wasn’t feeling good.”
Jorginho, who moved across London from Chelsea in January to provide additional midfield cover for Arsenal’s final months of the season, is highly regarded for his wealth of experience, despite not being a like-for-like replacement for some of the Gunners’ other midfield options.
Arteta’s decision to bring on Thomas Partey in place of Jorginho in the second half proved to be a shrewd move, as the Ghanaian midfielder provided the team with much-needed stability and presence. Speaking after the match, Arteta was effusive in his praise for Partey, stating that he “really gave some presence and some stability to the team.”
Arteta explained his decision after the match, saying: “I am really happy as it was the game we had in hand against an opponent that we knew would make life really difficult for us. We experienced that at Goodison [Park, losing 1-0 in February]. We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do and allowed them to run in certain transitions. But after 25 minutes, we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key.
“We needed a magic moment there and Alex [Oleksandr Zinchenko] produced that. And then the team grew especially with Thomas [Partey] as Jorg [Jorginho] was not feeling good today. When he came on, he really gave some presence and some stability to the team and I think the second half was superb.”
Although Jorginho’s age and lack of regular playing time means he is not expected to feature in every game for Arsenal, his presence in the squad remains vital for the team’s European commitments.
Alongside Granit Xhaka, Partey has been Arteta’s preferred midfield pairing for the majority of the season, but Jorginho’s experience provides valuable cover for the Gunners.