Thomas Tuchel shared in his Friday pre-match press conference that Chelsea’s midfielder Jorginho has looked “mentally tired” recently.
The Blues manager has been speaking ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final against Liverpool.
“[Jorginho] did not play so much from the beginning lately because we feel him a bit tired, a bit mentally tired,” Tuchel said.
For Jorginho, he’s been in and out of the starting XI recently.
The brilliant 30-year-old midfielder has started two of the last four matches across all competitions, as the manager opts to rotate his options in the centre of the park.
In fairness, the central midfielder is one of the top quality options alongside teammates N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.
It’s interesting to hear Tuchel flag Jorginho, which he did when asked the customary question about how Blues forward Romelu Lukaku has looked in training this week.
Chelsea have two spots for three outstanding players
The Blues are good enough to beat any side regardless of which combination of Jorginho, Kovacic or Kante lines up in the centre of the park.
It sounds like Chelsea’s boss has been protecting Jorginho lately with his minutes, but at the same time his two teammates are looking in some great form.
There is no doubt Jorginho remains a senior and vital figure in this team, though.
The Italian has scored nine goals, all from the penalty spot, in 32 games across all competitions this season.
It was an action-packed 2021 for him that saw him win honours with club and country, so it’s just smart man-management on Tuchel’s point.
There should be no concerns if he’s picked to start this weekend against Liverpool.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
