The headlines last night may have been dedicated to Jorginho for a moment of pure class with the winning penalty for Italy vs Spain, but he was also sensational throughout the game.
Perhaps there is some truth in saying that he only truly excels when a team is built around his abilities, but he’s playing at a level far higher than Chelsea fans have seen over the past couple of years.
That’s not to say that he’s bad at Stamford Bridge, but he is perfect for this Italy team with his ability to keep the ball moving in the midfield.
When you think of defensive play it’s natural to think of tackles or headers won, but interceptions can be an even more crucial stat as it allows you to turn defence into attack immediately and it just makes the game so much easier if you can do it.
For a midfield player to average two or three interceptions a game is generally pretty good going, so this is just another little stat that shows how good he was last night:
?? Last night, Jorginho made eight interceptions against Spain in their #EURO2020 semi-final victory.
?? A new record in European Championship history. pic.twitter.com/LlS3tzHSNJ
— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) July 7, 2021
Of course there was extra time to boost the stat but it’s still a new record, and he is one of the players who has greatly increased his reputation with some fine performances this summer.