Maurizio Sarri sprung to the defence of Jorginho after Chelsea fans booed the midfielder at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Jorginho came off the bench to a chorus of jeers during the club’s 3-0 victory over Malmo in the Europa League, which saw them ease through to the last-16 of the competition.
Sarri has built his possession-at-all-costs philosophy around the deep-lying playmaker, who arrived with him from Napoli during the summer.
But after a bright start, the honeymoon has been short-lived, with Jorginho struggling to make an impact as opposition teams attempt to stifle ‘Sarri-Ball’.
And fans inside Stamford Bridge have decided to make their feelings known. After chanting ‘f*** Sarri-Ball’ during the 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Monday, Jorginho became the latest object of their frustration.
“I hope that our fans will be able to understand that Jorginho, for us, is really a very important player,” Sarri said.
“In the first 30 minutes we understood why Jorginho is very important for our team.
“We were in trouble to exit from our half, on pressing. With Jorginho, it’s easier I think.”
Sarri remains under immense pressure ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City – a team who thrashed the Blues 6-0 just two weeks ago.
Chelsea fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the Italian’s insistence on a 4-3-3 formation with Jorginho at its core and N’Golo Kante in an advanced role on the right of a midfield three.
But the manager refuses to compromise his philosophy, despite suggestions he has become too predictable and opposition managers have him sussed.