Maurizio Sarri Defends Jorginho After Being Booed By Chelsea Fans

Maurizio Sarri has come out to defend Jorginho after the Chelsea player was brought on as a substitute against Malmö.

Ross Barkley made way for the 27-year-old Italian midfielder in the second half, but his introduction was not a happy moment for many of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Chelsea fans booed him, sure, but Jorginho seemed unfazed by the sound around him and continued to smile as he made his way onto the pitch.

Following on from the Blues' 3-0 victory over Malmö, Sarri was asked how he felt about the fans reacting to Jorginho in the way that they did.

"I think that in the first 30 mins, we understood why Jorginho is very important for our play," he told Goal.

"We were in trouble to exit our half from pressing.

"With Jorginho, it is easier, I think. I hope our fans understand Jorginho is an important player."

Chelsea signed Jorginho, who was also a target for Manchester City, last summer for a reported fee of £50m from Napoli.

Since his arrival at the club, the Italy international has been criticised for his lack of assists and goalscoring ability.

That's not to mention that his positioning in the starting XI has had a knock-on effect on N'Golo Kanté, who has been shifted out of his preferred position of playing in front of the defence.

Sarri was keen to reunite with the former Napoli player to implement 'Sarriball' at Chelsea, but fans have shown how they felt about his philosophy during the club's defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday.

Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Chelsea in the second half, with Barkley adding his side's second.

Callum Hudson-Odoi sealed Chelsea's victory after he fired in their third. Sarri's men will now progress to the last 16 of the Europa League.

Agree or disagree with Sarri's comments on Jorginho?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: BT Sport/PA

Topics: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Football News, Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea, Football, Europa League, Ross Barkley, Premier League, Olivier Giroud, N'Golo Kante, stamford bridge

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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