The international break is finally over and all the Premier League clubs are back in action. But for Arsenal fans, it wasn’t a pleasant couple of weeks. The Gunners have already lost Declan Rice due to suspension ahead of the derby against the Spurs. And the recent injury of Odegard added fuel to the fire from the club’s perspective.
In the absence of such important players the Gunners will definitely struggle to fight against Postecoglou’s side this weekend. As of now the Gunners are only left with two experienced midfielders in their side after all the chaos. 31 year old Thomas Partey and 32 year old Jorginho. Partey have started in all the three league fixtures for the Gunners until now. However, Jorginho hasn’t got any minutes till now this season.
It is most likely that Jorginho will get his first start of the season against Spurs in the absence of Rice. And Havertz will play in the place of Odegard as a number 10. Whereas, Trossard will play as a number 9 in front of the German. Club legend David Seaman has put his faith on the Italian international in the absence of Rice.
Seaman’s verdict on Jorginho
The English icon claimed on the Seaman says podcast that, Jorginho will be a ‘great replacment’ for Rice. Jorginho was used frequently last season by Arteta. He made 24 appearances in the league, bagging 2 assists. He was also a important part of Arsenal’s Champions League campaign last time. The European champion was one of the main players behind Chelsea’s ucl glory in 2021 along with Havertz.
Rice is naturally a defending midfielder but in the presence of Partey he is playing in more central areas. So, Jorginho replacing Rice in the central position isn’t much of a headache for the team. Jorginho is a very versatile player. He has been playing in the Premier League for the past 7 years. So he knows what is pressure and how to win games. When predicting about who will replace Rice, Seaman stated, “Looking at who goes in there, it might be Jorginho. Great replacement by the way!”
The Italian was himself present in the show earlier this week. Show co-host Faye Carruthers noted some expressions in the Italian’s behaviour. He believes Jorginho was shy about his potential return to the playing Xi. Carruthers mentioned, “He was coy about it when we asked him as well, wasn’t he? He didn’t want to assume that he was going to play.”
Jorginho will be very glad to play again for the Gunners. So, the reaction is justified as he is very excited to be back on the pitch. However, nothing is confirmed yet whether Jorginho will start or not. But one thing is sure that the Gunners will be targeting for all the three points after a disappointing draw against the Seagulls on matchday 3.
Squad news ahead of the derby
The Gunners are surely in a deficit after the loss of Rice due to suspension and Odegard due to injury. As per reports he will be out for at least 3-4 weeks. Moreover, new signing Mikel Merino is also out due to shoulder injury for 2-3 months. And another new player Riccardo Calafiori will most probably be absent against the Spurs as he took a knock against France in the Nations League fixture. The only positive news for the Gunners is that Gabriel Jesus is back in the camp to train and slowly recovering from his groin pain.
While for the Spurs, new signing Dominic Solanke could return this weekend ahead of the derby after missing the last two games. Mickey Van de Ven’s arrival is still a doubt as he pulled his name out of the Dutch squad before the international break. Brazilian forward Richarlison is not expected to be fit and Yves Bissouma is also a doubt.
A trusted source on GoonerNews.comFor more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
