Jorginho's Arsenal debut gets off to nightmare start after just 60 seconds
Mikel Arteta chose to start his newest recruit on the bench for the trip to Everton, but Jorginho was eventually introduced just before the hour mark.
Gunners fans would have been keen to see how the Italian fared in what was such a physical contest in the middle of the pitch at Goodison Park. The likes of Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure were causing both of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka huge headaches.
It is for that reason Arteta opted to replace Partey with Jorginho, though the former Chelsea man hardly got off to a dream start. Less than one minute after he was brought on, Arsenal were behind after conceding from a corner.
The ball looped over Jorginho before landing on the head of James Tarkowski, who handed his old Burnley boss Sean Dyche a dream start to life as Everton manager.
Falling behind inspired a shift in momentum, with the Toffees more than happy to sit back and soak up the pressure while trying to preserve their lead. In turn, this allowed greater for possession from Arsenal's perspective, particularly in the middle of the pitch.
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Jorginho's job was simple, to keep possession and progress the ball forward into the feet of the Gunners most creative talents, such as Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
Jorginho failed to make much of an impact for Arsenal after being brought on for his debut (AFP via Getty Images)He managed to do so on a number of occasions and Jorginho can hardly be blamed for his new team-mates inability to carve out chances and unpick the Everton lock.
It is a testament to how dominant Jorginho's Everton counterparts were that Odegaard was hauled off 10 minutes after the Italian was brought on, ending one avenue of progression for the Gunners.
Jorginho actually lost the ball in a dangerous area seven minutes from time, though he was hardly helped by Xhaka's hospital ball. Thankfully for the Italian, Neal Maupay's shot was tame and found its way into the palms of Aaron Ramsdale rather than the back of the net.
Ultimately, it would be harsh to blame what is just Arsenal's second league defeat of the season on their debutant, though the optics certainly don't look great from Jorginho's perspective.
The Italian's whole game is based on control, were the scoreline reversed perhaps it would have suited him better. Jorginho chasing a game is a very different one to a Jorginho preserving a lead.
Arteta, the Arsenal fans and Jorginho himself will be hoping for signifcantly better in the weeks that follow as the Gunners' title hopes suffer a rare dent.
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