Tuchel Admits Chelsea Would Have Scored More Goals Against Aston Villa Had $69M Star Started

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel insisted that The Blues would have scored more against Aston Villa had Jorginho started the game Saturday.

Jorginho came off the bench at half-time and had a calming impact in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, where Romelu Lukaku netted a goal on either side of Croatian Mateo Kovacic’s 49th-minute strike. Chelsea are currently placed second in the 2021-22 Premier League table.

Following a comfortable 3-0 win in the Premier League clash with Aston Villa, Chelsea boss Tuchel heaped praises on Jorginho, saying the Italian midfielder is a "very strategic player."

"It’s been mentioned many times around the well-deserved Player of the Year award and I have mentioned many times how he is capable of playing. He is a very strategic player, he has a high volume, and with playing a lot he is full of confidence and he can implement a rhythm for our game and this is what he did," Tuchel told Chelsea media in a post-match interview Saturday.

Tuchel also pointed out Jorginho’s "strong connection" with Chelsea’s veteran center-back Thiago Silva.

"He [Jorginho] has a strong connection with Thiago to be strong in the build-up and to find the gaps behind the high pressing of Aston Villa and this is what we did. If we played with more composure, with more possession in the last third, earlier we would have been able to score maybe more. But this is what Jorginho does for us and that’s why he is important to us. He is a top player and he’s used to the league and he’s full of confidence. It’s a good mix," added Tuchel, who led Chelsea to Champions League success last season.

While Thiago moved from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Chelsea in the 2020 summer, Jorginho has been a Blue since 2018. Having moved from Napoli to Chelsea at a transfer fee of around $69 million, Jorginho has been a vital cog of the side. He has netted 17 goals and four assists in as many as 146 appearances for Chelsea, across all competitions.

In the 2018-19 campaign, which was his debut season at Chelsea, he helped the side win the Europa League. Jorginho also played a key role in Chelsea’s Champions League title last season and Super Cup victory earlier this year.