Chelsea: Free of his puppet master, Jorginho must trust a new process

To those who stood firmly behind Maurizio Sarri last season, a brave new world is about to begin. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea could potentially undo “their” Italian’s perceived good work. Moving forward, they can only hope that Jorginho, “their” “regista,” can make himself the focal point of Lampard’s midfield.

Without wishing to go over what was an awful Chelsea campaign in terms of the atmosphere inside the ground and the bickering that occurred on social media, 2019/20 looks set to see some of that nonsense continue. Match days, though, ought to offer up a feel-good factor that Stamford Bridge last saw during Antonio Conte’s first season in charge.

Fortunately for him, Roman Abramovich missed out on last season’s shenanigans due to his enforced exile from Britain. But no doubt he was fully aware of what was going on.

The #SarriIn brigade look set to pin their collective hopes on Jorginho continuing his development under Frank Lampard. Their perception that Jorginho was a scapegoat for his master’s lack of creativity on the substitution front and for ousting N’golo Kante from his natural position on the field were wide of the mark.

Chelsea fans are very loyal to those who play for their club. On a couple of occasions, Jorginho was booed by a small minority of supporters when he came on as a substitute. However, that was also misunderstood.

The booing was not aimed at the player: it was directed at Maurizio Sarri over his decision to make a substitution, particularly that substitution, at those points in the game.

Despite a steady start, it didn’t take long for those who understand the English game and its competitive style of football to realise that Sarri’s methods were not cut out for the Premier League. Those in the lower reaches of the league are more than capable of causing an upset to those at the top on any given day.

Jorginho was unfortunately in the path of the backlash.

With Sarri’s backers already trolling the internet claiming that those who booed Jorginho last season would be up for eating some humble pie under Lampard, they sadly miss the point again.

Remember, it wasn’t the #SarriOut brigade that likened the midfielder to Sarri’s son. It was Cesc Fabregas following his departure to Monaco.

"I was at Chelsea and I could have renewed my contract and stayed there but a new coach came with a player that for him was like his son."

Jorginho will not be booed this season under Frank Lampard.

Jorginho is a decent footballer. However, he can improve further. He can add more to his game and Lampard can develop him further by using an approach that is not one-dimensional. Lampard has been impressed with Jorginho so far in preseason and has spoken about his qualities,

"His attitude in training has been first class. He’s a driver of a session. He’s a voice. He runs, he pushes people around him, he drags people up when he doesn’t feel they’re working as much as he might want. I’ve loved seeing that. So in terms of first impressions, working with him for 10 days, I can’t ask for any more. I’m delighted to have him. – Daily Mail"

Lampard has tried a variety of formations in three preseason games, using a vast selection of his squad in doing so. With each game, that squad is being whittled down to manageable numbers as decisions are made regarding what is best for individual players.

Once the season begins it’s likely that N’golo Kante, who has yet to feature in preseason, will return to his more familiar holding midfield duties. There’s every chance Jorginho will sit alongside him just in front of the back four. That will be flexible, though, and adapted to suit any given situation. It may not always work, but if Frank Lampard can at least be proactive during games, he’ll be backed by players and fans alike.

This is not only a big season for Super Frankie Lampard. Maurizio Sarri’s departure may also be the best thing that could have happened to Jorginho’s football career.

With the Italian free of his selfish puppet master’s strings, he’ll get the chance to flourish under a different kind of coach. One who is prepared to listen and learn from those around him. Jorginho must trust the process like never before.