Chelsea has no perfect options to rotate Jorginho out of the squad

Jorginho is vital to Chelsea’s implementation of Sarrismo. But that has made him nearly impossible to rotate and the Blues have few other options.

Chelsea needed Jorginho. He was not on the Blues’ radar when the summer started but as the Maurizio Sarri deal went on and on, Jorginho came into frame. After nearly signing for Manchester City (crisis adverted there), the Italian joined Sarri in his migration to Chelsea.

Sarri built Sarrismo around Jorginho. He went from a player on the outs to the star man once Sarri joined Napoli. Jorginho’s transfer to Chelsea has rapidly sped up the time it takes for the Blues to adjust to their new style of football.

But because Jorginho is so vital, he is also practically undroppable even for the smallest of matches. At some point, tiredness will catch up and will hurt him. Sarri needs to find out who can do what Jorginho does without being Jorginho. None of his options are perfect fits.

On paper, Cesc Fabregas might be the most natural fit. Fabregas exploded on to the Chelsea scene by performing as a deep lying playmaker in Jose Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1. He is able to control tempo in the same way as Jorginho and find the long balls that others miss.

But defensively, Jorginho is more important than many realize. He is not a holding midfielder who anchors the center, but he is a key part of the initial press to win the ball back from the opponent. Fabregas does this at times but rarely continues the practice over a length of games. Though the Spaniard is better defensively than many believe, he may still not be good enough.

The next option is Danny Drinkwater. Drinkwater played in the role during preseason with mixed results but only because he was so average at everything. He is able to control tempo, find long passes, and press but he is unable to do any of them better than is passably acceptable. Since Drinkwater has not even made the Europa League squad, he is surely simply on the outs and out of contention regardless.

The third option would be Ethan Ampadu. The young Welshman has played in midfield for his national team in an incredibly free role. He was able to control tempo in the Welsh matches while also pressing as well as would be needed.

The issue with Ampadu is a question as to where he is best utilized. Is he a better defender or midfielder? Does he do better with the field in front of him or behind him? And if Ampadu does become Jorginho’s deputy as opposed to a center backs, he will likely find playing time much harder to come by.

The final option would require a tactical change but one many called for in the opening days of Sarrismo; put N’Golo Kante in the center of midfield. Those that asked for this (usually in the form of a Kante-Jorginho swap) missed the point of the role the two had to play for Chelsea. But if Jorginho becomes injured or otherwise needs resting, a tactical switch to a more traditional 4-3-3 might not be out of the question.

Kante does play as a holding mid for France in similar fashion. It is a poor use of his skill set but one that proved effective for the national team. It would require some other midfielder to take up the slack on controlling the tempo. That midfielder, due to not having two aggressive midfielders ahead of him, would be far less shielded and would find life much harder than Jorginho does.

Jorginho being ready to go for the games that matter will be one of the most important things to Chelsea’s success this season. The options in behind him simply do not scream confidence currently. If Chelsea has to go without Jorginho, Sarri may have to find a creative solution to mask for his absence.