Paul Merson was amazed by one Arsenal player’s passing against Liverpool at the weekend, noting that Mikel Arteta’s decision to play him was a masterstroke.
The Gunners picked up a huge victory in the Premier League title race. Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard gave them a 3-1 victory to move to within two points of the summit.
Mikel Arteta made a couple of surprising selection decisions ahead of the game. Kai Havertz started up front instead of Eddie Nketiah. And Arteta opted for Jorginho in the middle of the park alongside Declan Rice.
Paul Merson praises Mikel Arteta for picking Jorginho against Liverpool
Jorginho was making only his fifth league start of the season against the Reds. But he proved to be outstanding. Rice suggested that Jorginho was unbelievable in the victory.
And speaking to Sportskeeda, Paul Merson suggested that the Arsenal boss made an inspired decision picking the 32-year-old.
“I thought it was a masterstroke by Mikel Arteta to play Jorginho – he was outstanding with his disguised passes and kept it simple in the middle of the park, allowing the Gunners to carve Liverpool open,” he said.
Another brilliant signing
Many of us did not see the logic when Arsenal decided to make a move for Jorginho during the final days of the 2023 January transfer window. Given the timing, it appeared to be something of a panic buy from the Gunners.
However, we have been silenced emphatically. Jorginho has rarely let Arsenal down when he has played. And he appears to be a huge figure behind the scenes.
Chelsea must be wondering if they made the wrong call selling Jorginho. Certainly, Arsenal signing the former Napoli man has proved to be a brilliant move, with Jorginho continuing to make a key impact in the biggest of games.