Arsenal are rampant. 25 goals. 6 games. 6 wins. The Gunners are well and truly up for the fight in this Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta’s men have come back from some fun in the Dubai sun to revive their season after a torrid New Year period where not only could they not win, but they couldn’t even score a goal either.
There were relentless cries for a new striker in January and although that point may well still be true, they certainly don’t have any problems finding the net.
In the last three games they have beaten West Ham 6-0, Burnley 5-0 and now Newcastle United 4-1. They are the second top scorers in the Premier League and the best defensive side; if that isn’t title-winning form then we’d like to know what it is.
But who was key to that win? A certain bargain buy in Jorginho shone once more.
Jorginho’s performance in numbers
The Italian was criticised and questioned, perhaps rather maliciously after he was signed in January 2023. Why was Arteta signing a Chelsea player whose best years were behind him?
A fair enough question, but Jorginho has answered his critics and has become one of the most liked players in this Arsenal team over the last year.
He’s a player that doesn’t start every game but when the going gets tough and the difficult fixtures come around, the midfielder is always there.
He won the Man of the Match award in the 3-1 win over Liverpool a few weeks ago and stepped into the centre of the pitch with ease this time too.
Playing at the base of the midfield, it allowed Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard the freedom to play further forward.
The Champions League winner walked away with TNT Sports’ Player of the Match award once more having taken 108 touches of the ball, more than anyone else on the field.
Jorginho also completed 91 of his passes at an 89% success rate. He was fouled twice in his attempts to evade the press and played a key role in Arsenal’s second goal of the game, scored by Kai Havertz.
The former Chelsea man played the ball in behind for Gabriel Martinelli who then laid it on a plate for the German to roll home.
That said, there were a few others who were arguably just as impressive as Jorginho. One of those players was Rice.
Declan Rice’s performance in numbers
Arsenal’s £105m summer signing has been simply sensational since arriving from West Ham. He’s scored big goals, notably against Chelsea and Manchester United and now he’s become a wizard from set plays.
In that 6-0 drubbing over his former club a few weeks ago the midfielder created two goals from a set piece and also found the net with a rasping drive from range.
Rice may not have found the net on this occasion but he registered another assist, supplying the corner which led to a rare strike for the ever-improving Jakub Kiwior who made it 4-0.
It took his tally for the campaign to five assists in the league. However, it was a display that was filled with even more quality elsewhere.
|
Declan Rice vs Newcastle |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Touches |
60 |
|
Accurate passes |
45/48 (94%) |
|
Key passes |
4 |
|
Crosses |
3/6 |
|
Aerials won |
1/1 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
The club’s record signing completed a staggering 94% of his passes, the best of any side at the Emirates on Saturday evening, with four of those proving to be a key pass.
Furthermore, the England international won 100% of his aerial duels during a dominant display that saw him handed an 8/10 match rating courtesy of Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak.
Arsenal have fielded a number of different combinations in midfield throughout 2024, with Havertz lining up alongside Rice but in Jorginho there is a balance in the ‘bigger’ games that looks far better. On Saturday night the pair of them were both phenomenal.
Remember, this is a team still missing Thomas Partey too. Imagine what Arsenal’s central area will look like once he’s back. For Rice, it’ll only be even more beneficial.
