Jorginho: Sarri more relaxed than ever; Chelsea just have to believe

Rumours of Sarri’s departure this summer show no signs of abating, and once the season is actually over, we can only expect them to increase in volume and intensity. Sarri’s possible departure has also started raising questions about the future of Jorginho, who seems a fairly specialized player practically wedded to ‘Sarri-ball’, having played its lynchpin for the past four seasons at Napoli and now at Chelsea.

How Jorginho might operate under a different coach could be interesting to see — he didn’t have a great time of it under Rafa Benítez at Napoli, but has played regularly for the Italian national team under Roberto Mancini — but for now, he’s joined his agent in dismissing any sort of speculation to that effect. He’s staying, and expects Sarri to do the same.

“I have four years on my contract with Chelsea. I’d be surprised he did leave, because we are third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool, we’re in the Europa League Final and reached the Carabao Cup Final.

“It has been a positive season. Sarri is relaxed, even more so now than in other stages of the campaign.”

It’s not been all rainbows and unicorns of course, and Jorginho was unfairly and repeatedly singled out as everything that was wrong with Sarri-ball, especially when results turned terrible for the Blues. To his great credit, he acknowledged the boos and set about working even harder for the club. He may not have convinced everyone, and the team’s football remains far from perfect or even good, but that reaction and drive shows the character of the man. The moment he put on the head-bandage in Frankfurt may yet prove an ultimate turning point, too.

“There will always be criticism, but I remained calm and relaxed. I’ll always have something new to learn and I’ve seen consistent growth throughout the season.”

But for right now, the focus is on next week’s Europa League final, which can turn a “positive” season into a good season, even. Sarri may downplay the meaning of winning a trophy — that’s not going to endear him to the fanbase any more than before — but Jorginho, like all the other players, has his sights firmly set on silverware.

It won’t be easy after a lengthy and grueling campaign — backup goalkeeper Rob Green recently highlighted the effects of fatigue and a relentless schedule on the squad — but we only have to believe. Believe in ourselves. Believe in our football. Believe in winning.

“It will be out 63rd competitive match of the season and obviously those start to weigh on you. I see this as a very positive campaign. It’s only natural that at a club like Chelsea, there is going to be all this pressure.”

“It’s an international final of a prestigious competition and we are working well to be ready for it. We must believe in our football and know that we can do it. There are great players here and we can bring the trophy home.”

-Jorginho; source: Sky Italia via Football Italia

So say we all.