Several Arsenal stars are set to feature at the European Championships this summer, but not all of them may be starters for their Nations.
Defender William Saliba is arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League, but it now appears that he will be benched by France manager Didier Deschamps, and he is not the only one facing an uncertain position for the tournament.
Midfield veteran Jorginho was outstanding as Italy won the Euros in 2021, with his performances en route to victory earning him a place on the Ballon d’Or podium.
Jorginho was excellent when called upon by Mikel Arteta this season, and with some key players missing, he was handed the captain’s armband as Italy took on Turkey in a pre-tournament friendly.
The two sides battled to a dire 0-0 draw, and Jorginho was fairly unimpressive in the middle, leading to criticism over his position in Luciano Spalletti’s side.
Jorginho slammed for display as Italy draw with Turkey ahead of Euros
On a night where Jorginho was meant to lead by example with the armband, and secure his place in Spalletti’s starting lineup, he failed to make the desired impact before being withdrawn in the 62nd minute.
Italian outlet Sport Virgilio gave Jorginho a 5/10 rating for his display, the joint-lowest of any Italy player.
“He has the task of running the team, but fails to do so in the task entrusted to him by the coach,” they stated of the Arsenal star.
Il Giornale also criticised his performance, with a 6/10 rating slightly more generous as they questioned his impact.
“Despite the captain’s armband, you see quite little. Much more careful during the coverage phase but certainly not a capital test of the Italian-Brazilian,” they highlighted.
Is Jorginho in danger of losing his Italy starting spot?
Spalletti became Italy manager at the start of the season after winning the Serie A title with Jorginho’s former club Napoli, but he left the Arsenal midfielder out of his first two squads in September and October due to his lack of game time in North London.
The £110k-a-week star then started to play more for Arteta’s side, which earned him a place back in the team, but he suffered a humiliating blow as he missed a penalty for his National side against North Macedonia.
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Italy have several other star midfielders including Inter Milan pair Nico Barella and Davide Frattesi, and with Spalletti seemingly keen on a 4-2-3-1 shape, there may be no room for Jorginho in the starting XI.
Jorginho paired superbly well with the physical Declan Rice in the second half of this season, but with Italy not possessing a player with the legs of the Englishman to cover for the veteran, his latest display may have shown that he is not what Spalletti wants alongside Barella in the tournament.