“Wins fouls, passes it simple and he’s had a decent game” – Matt Upson singles out Chelsea star for special praise after performance with national team

BBC pundit and former Arsenal centre-back Matt Upson has praised Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho for his performance against England.

The Blues star started the Azzurri's UEFA Nations League encounter against the Three Lions on Friday (September 23). Jorginho bossed proceedings from midfield as Roberto Mancini's side won 1-0 at the San Siro thanks to Giacomo Raspadori's second-half curler.

In addition to shielding Italy's backline well, Jorginho also helped break play and move the ball forward. Upson has lauded the midfielder for the same and said on BBC Radio 5 Live (as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle):

“Jorginho keeps everything ticking over and sits in front of the back three. Wins fouls, passes it simple and he’s had a decent game.”

Jorginho played 89 minutes of the Azzurri's match against England. He completed 88% of his attempted passes and three of his four long-ball attempts. The 30-year-old also laid out a key pass, won a foul and recorded two tackles, two clearances and three successful ground duels (as per Sofascore).

Thanks to his display, Italy moved to second in their Nations League group only behind surprise leaders Hungary, who stunned Germany 1-0 on Thursday. England, meanwhile, remain last and the defeat confirmed their relegation to the second tier of the competition.

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Jorginho has started six out of eight matches for Chelsea this season

Jorginho has copped plenty of criticism from some sections of the Chelsea fanbase since arriving on a deal worth around £50 million from S.S.C. Napoli. However, he has remained a consistent presence in their starting line-up over the last four years or so.

The Italian seems to be a key part of the Blues' setup this season as well. He has started six of their eight matches across the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. Jorginho has scored once in those games, netting the only goal of the game in their league opener against Everton.

He notably played the entire 90 minutes in new Chelsea boss Graham Potter's first game in charge, a 1-1 home draw with RB Salzburg in the Champions League.

Jorginho will now look to build on his excellent display against England in his national team's next match. Italy will take on leaders Hungary in their final Nations League group-stage encounter on September 26 at the Puskas Arena Park in Budapest.