Jorginho on Brasileirão bugbear and Italy v Flamengo pressure | OneFootball

Jorginho gave an interview to RomárioTV

One of Flamengo’s standouts in the win over Botafogo on Sunday (30), Jorginho gave an interview to ‘RomárioTV,’ run by the former Mengão striker. The midfielder spoke about several topics, such as the condition of pitches in Brazil and the pressure at Rubro-Negro.

— (What annoys me most is) some rules, some decisions. The pitches aren’t standardized. We play on a good pitch, then three days later there’s a long trip and a bad pitch. They even asked me this: ‘do you prefer artificial turf or a natural pitch?’ Obviously I prefer natural. But between a horrible natural pitch and a good artificial one, I prefer artificial. The pitches really test your patience —, Jorginho began, before answering what he finds most enjoyable in Brazil.

“On the pitch, I’d point to the quality of the game itself, the players. There are a lot of quality players here, it surprised me. The fans’ passion is different,” added Flamengo’s No. 21, who provided a beautiful assist for Samuel Lino’s goal on Sunday (30).

AND THE PRESSURE?

Having played for several clubs in Europe, such as Napoli (ITA), Chelsea (ENG) and Arsenal (ENG), Jorginho was asked by Romário where the pressure is greatest. The midfielder admitted that nothing compares to the situation when wearing the Italian national team shirt. However, when it comes to clubs, Flamengo is ‘top of the list.’

— In the national team, yes. In the national team the pressure ends up being greater. But among clubs, there’s no comparison. The pressure at Flamengo is greater than all of them. The one that came closest is Napoli. Napoli is very similar to Rio de Janeiro —, he said.

RETURN TO BRAZIL

After spending his entire career in Europe, Jorginho signed with Flamengo in the middle of last year. There was no shortage of offers for the midfielder to stay on the continent, but the desire to return to Brazil spoke louder. In fact, his return to the country could have been with Palmeiras, as the player revealed.

— Before I signed with Flamengo, some clubs in Europe approached me, and clubs in Brazil did too. But Flamengo was ahead. In Brazil, it was Palmeiras. In Europe, teams that weren’t competing for titles called me, but I wanted to feel that again, to be performing at a high level, under pressure. Flamengo was the perfect choice —, Jorginho said.

ARRASCAETA

Finally, Romário asked Jorginho how highly Arrascaeta ranks among the players the midfielder has played with. The No. 21 preferred not to put it in numbers, but placed the Uruguayan among the greatest teammates he has shared a dressing room with.

— I put Arrascaeta on a very high shelf. I’m comparing him with Hazard, with Kovacic, Kanté, with huge names who have done a lot for football. But Arrascaeta has the quality to be there —, Jorginho concluded.

AUTHOR’S OPINION

— It’s really great to have someone of Jorginho’s stature in Flamengo’s squad. A European champion with Italy, winner of the Club World Cup with Chelsea, he lifted the Libertadores trophy… The guy smells like titles —, opined Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist at Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.