One player stood out for the Gunners as their cup journey continued.
With a valiant away win over Brentford last night, Arsenal secured their spot in the EFL Cup’s next round.
Mikel Arteta made the decision to forge his own path after seeing firsthand how Everton defeated the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium last weekend. He dominated possession while maintaining his competitive spirit. In the end, Reiss Nelson’s caliber stood out among the competition.
Reiss Nelson’s performance versus Brentford.
The English winger, who had the second-highest Sofascore rating of anyone in the match, was given the green light to make his season’s opening start in a hostile environment.
Although his goal, which was scored with beautiful perfection, made the difference, it wasn’t the only thing that earned him praise for his remarkable performance. The trickster posed a persistent threat, sending another shot wide and hitting the woodwork with a late opportunity. This helped the 23-year-old player succeed with his one dribble attempt since he was so effective with the ball in his hands.
His extraordinary pass accuracy—which remained at an incredibly astounding 96% pass accuracy from the 48 attempts—emphasized this idea even more.
Such a performance undoubtedly set a landmark for Bukayo Saka’s first-team hopes, especially in light of recent questions about his fitness. But in a contest where they continuously wanted to be in charge, Jorginho’s performance was crucial to preserving this.
Against Brentford, how did Jorginho perform?
The arrival of the seasoned midfield maestro always adds composure — the north London derby error notwithstanding — but may slow down the play to the point where it occasionally affects their philosophy. This was the season’s first start for the Italy international.
That was not the case yesterday night, though, as the 31-year-old was constantly present and crucial in keeping the action quiet while providing a solid foundation for the squad to develop upon.
As a result, according to Sofascore, he completed 107 touches in the engine room while maintaining a 90% pass accuracy rate and making two vital passes.
Declan Rice wasn’t even noticed since Jorginho, a former Chelsea star, was in charge of everything.
However, the general earning £110k a week did more than simply pass; according to Sofascore, he also recorded a staggering seven tackles, three interceptions, and two clearances while triumphing in eight of his nine ground duels.
So, it shouldn’t have surprised anyone to see journalist Aaron Catterson-Reid praising the star player on Twitter, writing: “Jorginho has been monumental today to be fair to him, wow.”
Simon Collings, a fellow journalist, gave the steely ace a 7/10 in his post-game player ratings in the Evening Standard. He said of the player, “Had a dreadful game against Tottenham on Sunday when he came off the bench, but recovered brilliantly today. When in your custody, largely unflappable.
The ability to recover from setbacks like being dispossessed by James Maddison for Tottenham Hotspur’s second equalizer is a sign of a top-tier footballer and explains why Arteta invested in him in January.
Whether or not Jorginho has a significant starting position in the upcoming weeks, his influence on the team as a whole could be crucial to whatever success they may have this season. The show last night only served to emphasize that.
