Arsenal, following an impressive start to the Premier League season, which saw them remain unbeaten after five games and even defeat Manchester United along the way, faced their toughest test yet in the form of the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners looked on course to seal all three points once again at stages, but were forced to settle for a point by the time the full-time whistle came, after goals from Hueng-min Son cancelled out Bukayo Saka's strike and Cristian Romero's own goal to end things at 2-2. One particular Arsenal player had a cameo to forget, and journalist James Olley did not hold back when aiming his criticism.
What did James Olley say?
Arsenal were in dreamland when Saka cooly converted from the spot in the second-half to give his side the lead, but Spurs burst that bubble almost as quickly as it had been formed, with Son combining well with James Maddison to equalise merely moments later. The goal, it must be said, was an avoidable one, with substitute Jorginho losing the ball in a dangerous position.
The former Chelsea man was introduced at half-time, and had a cameo to forget, resulting in criticism from Olley, who took to X to say:
"afc 2-2 thfc Instant reply. Son levels again from Maddison's pass. Dreadful from Jorginho, caught in possession."
Mikel Arteta will be incredibly disappointed with his midfielder, especially considering that Saka had only just restored Arsenal's lead. Now six games into the season, the Gunners have drawn twice, leaving Manchester City four points ahead at the top of the Premier League table.
Statistically speaking, Jorginho struggled even outside of his mistake. As per Sofascore, the Italian was the worst-rated home player, lost possession four times, lost half of his duels, while also touching the ball fewer times than goalkeeper David Raya. Simply put, it was an afternoon to forget.
How has Jorginho performed this season?
Having Jorginho as an option, on paper, is wise of Arsenal, given his experience at the very best level. This season, however, he has found game-time hard to come by, starting zero games, forced to come from the bench. And it is perhaps that lack of sharpness that cost Arsenal all three points against Spurs, with Jorginho's loose touch leading to Son's second of the game to equalise.
If Rice's early substitution is due to an injury, then Arteta will hope that Jorginho regains form and gets back to the player who is in the top 92 percentile for passes attempted, the top 97 percentile for pass completion rate, and the top 88 percentile for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref. If Arsenal can get that version of the midfielder, then they may not have to worry about a repeat of his mistake against Spurs.
Next up, Arsenal travel to Brentford in the EFL Cup, where they'll hope to return to winning ways, and then focus on the league, looking to close the gap on Manchester City at the top of the league. If they lose any more ground in the title race, then the Gunners may face an uphill battle in the coming months of the campaign.
