Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has had an interrupted role in the first Xi despite receiving a lot of criticism from fans and pundits.
Jorginho moved into the club during the summer and initially, the fans thought that the club had brought in a gem.
Maurizio Sarri had worked closely with the player during their time at Napoli and upon arrival, the manager chose to hand the defensive midfielder’s role to Jorginho which meant N’Golo Kante was pushed wider.
Even then the fans were not too displeased simply because the former Napoli man came with a reputation.
But now as the season is coming to an end, Jorginho has mostly had average performances and has failed to win over the fans and pundits.
Many people have urged the manager to drop Jorginho and hand Kante back his old role but Sarri is pretty clear that no one in the squad is going to take Jorginho’s place in midfield.
This is undoubtedly a special treatment from the manager despite the player thinking otherwise.
“I’m not special. I have a completely normal relationship with Sarri,” he told The Guardian.
“I don’t go out for dinner with him. I don’t go round to his house. I am just a player who can help him do the things he wants his team to do.
“He’s shouted at me when I’ve got things wrong, just as he has everyone else. I certainly don’t consider myself to be his golden boy.
“The fans are entitled to have their opinion, to be supporters and think whatever they like,
“It also gives me strength to work more to change their views on me. Even if they think I am Sarri’s man, I want to show them why Sarri likes me, that I am a good player and they are wrong to have that attitude towards me.
“But I have never had any doubts. I believe in myself. I know how hard I am working and how much effort I am putting in.
“So, while I accept [the critics’] views, I don’t share them. I respect their opinion, I listen, I stay calm and work hard, trying to do better. I knew it was going to be a hard challenge over here.
“I knew it was going to be very tough, so I am comfortable with that and I am learning from my mistakes.”
Jorginho has often been criticised for his failure to control the game – a key aspect of his which caught everyone’s attention while he was playing for Napoli.
And most people feel that the midfielder will only be a regular in the first XI until Maurizio Sarri is at the helm.
