Mikel Arteta has praised Jorginho for his 'tremendous' performance in Arsenal's 4-2 win over Aston Villa. The 31-year-old suffered a rough start to life in north London since joining from Chelsea in January, with each of his previous appearances coming in defeats to Everton and Manchester City.
But, eager to set the record straight, Jorginho replaced Thomas Partey at the heart of the Gunners' midfield to excellent effect. And, he almost marked his first win in an Arsenal shirt with a fantastic strike from range.
Speaking to the press after game, Arteta lauded the Italy international for his 'huge impact' on and off the pitch at Arsenal. The Spaniard continued by urging supporters to get behind Jorginho and to understand why he's so important in the Gunners' Premier League title charge.
READ MORE: Man United takeover bidders net worth compared to Chelsea and Arsenal as Qatar update emerges
"I certainly didn’t see that quality of him - scoring from deep," Arteta said. "The biggest quality he has is that he makes other people look better, better than what you actually are.
"He’s made a huge impact already on the boys and the staff and hopefully our fans. I hope people can see that because I thought he was tremendous today."
Then, Arteta added by explaining how much of a confidence boost the win over Villa give Jorginho — and the remainder of the squad. He said: "I feel it’s right back with more belief than before because you have to turn performances into results.
"Against Brentford, we did that but we couldn’t win it because of a decision - fine - against Manchester City we deserved more with the performance but the reality is that in football the games are decided in the boxes.
"Today we have to put something else and there’s still a lot of things to improve, we have to be humble enough to see those things, recognise those things, work on them because we cannot those bigger margins. You don’t have to produce as much as we do every single game to win games. Smaller margins should be enough to win games in this league consecutively and we have to improve that."
Partey, who joined Arsenal in 2020 for £45million, has been integral to Arsenal's push for the Premier League title. In his absence, the Gunners have previously looked lost without him anchoring the midfield.
But, following Jorginho's impressive performance at Villa Park, Arteta now appears to trust the Italian to step in and fill the Ghanian's shoes when called upon.
READ NEXT:
Every word Mikel Arteta said on Thomas Partey injury, rotation and Arsenal fixture scheduling
Mikel Arteta gives Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus update for Villa vs Arsenal
Arsenal and Man City charged by FA amid referee anger and complaints
Arsenal's next five fixtures compared to Manchester City, Man Utd, Newcastle and Tottenham
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
