Stopping Jorginho key for Arsenal in Europa League final

If Arsenal can stop Chelsea’s Jorginho, they will have a great chance of winning the Europa League final, but missing players will make that a challenge.

Unai Emery knows how to beat Chelsea ahead of the 2019 Europa League final in Baku on Wednesday. That’s the good news for Arsenal.

The bad news is the three-time Europa League winning manager might not have the tools to do it.

Emery had the ideal weapon when the Gunners beat Chelsea 2-0 in the Premier League back in January. Aaron Ramsey was Emery’s seek-and-destroy missile with a clear mission at the Emirates Stadium: To engulf Chelsea’s deep-lying playmaker Jorginho.

Ramsey’s engine, tactical discipline and application made him perfect for the plan. He stayed tight to Jorginho and denied him the time and space to get the Blues moving with efficient passes between the lines.

Emery can’t call on Ramsey in Baku, though. The Welshman’s season was ended by a hamstring injury suffered in the quarterfinal against Jorginho’s former club, Napoli.

If Ramsey were fit, Emery could simply play Arsenal’s familiar 3-5-2 formation in the final. Ramsey would be positioned behind strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, ideally placed to stifle Jorginho’s influence.

The Gunners can’t let the Italy international dictate play from the base of midfield. If he does, Chelsea will own possession and manufacture enough chances to put Arsenal away.

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Emery’s alternatives without Ramsey have been reduced, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan opting against making the journey to the final. There are concerns over the Armenia international’s safety in the capital of Azerbaijan.

Mkhitaryan not being able to participate has raised serious questions about the relationship between politics and sports, as well as the sense of UEFA’s choice of the host nation for the final.

The sporting aspect of Mkhitaryan’s absence is Emery not being able to use him in a Ramsey-style role. Mkhitaryan hasn’t had the most effective season as a creative force, but he has shown the energy and willingness to press high up the pitch and defend from the front.

Without the two most obvious candidates to hamper Jorginho, Emery has three alternative strategies. None of them involve the languid Mesut Ozil, who hardly possesses the drive for a rigorous man-marking remit.

Instead, the first plan would be to play a 3-4-3 formation. This would give Arsenal two attacking players in wide areas who could drift infield when out of possession and get close to Jorginho.

Mkhitaryan would have excelled here, but Alex Iwobi could be just as effective. The 23-year-old is athletic enough to handle an expanded defensive role off the ball.

The drawback to the 3-4-3 plan would be moving one of Arsenal’s two match-winning strikers out of the middle. Emery’s team is in the final because of how freely Lacazette and Aubameyang have scored during the knockout phase.

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Playing two up top is the best means of overwhelming the opposition for a team no longer as adept in possession since Emery replaced Arsene Wenger in the dugout.

Emery could keep his two strikers central but alter their alignment slightly to maintain pressure on Jorginho. Rather than deploying Aubameyang alongside Lacazette, Emery could have one play just off the other.

A slightly withdrawn role, almost like a No. 10, would give the Gunners somebody in close proximity to Jorginho.

Arsenal’s third option for cutting off Chelsea’ supply line for passes is to add another central midfielder to the starting XI.

Putting Matteo Guendouzi alongside Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira would enable the Gunners to match the Blues in the middle. Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri loves to flood midfield, so Emery can’t lose the numbers battle.

Yet like Emery, Sarri’s options have been reduced. Injuries have ruled out Ruben Loftus-Cheek and now possibly N’Golo Kante, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian.

Kante missing out would leave Jorginho without his trusted minder and allow Arsenal to swarm around the 27-year-old. Torreira should lead the charge in this approach.

The Uruguayan is known for his tenacity and seen as an asset in deeper areas. However, Emery’s pressing formula is all about defending from the front, making Torreira’s hustle more valuable further forward.

He provided a vivid snapshot of his worth pressing the ball in advanced areas during the 4-2 semi-final second-leg win away to Valencia. Torreira won possession on the edge of the Valencia area and started a move to let Lacazette score the Gunners’ second.

Having Guendouzi and Xhaka pull the strings from the base of midfield while Torreira chases down Jorginho would give Arsenal the balance needed to win the final.

Playing three central players would also mean Emery can still accommodate Ozil. A midfield diamond like the one that baffled Jorginho and Chelsea in January can work again.