Italy star Jorginho doesn’t think about winning the Ballon d’Or and reveals which mistake the Azzurri should not commit ahead of their meeting with Belgium.
Jorginho has won the Champions League with Chelsea this season and his compatriot Lorenzo Insigne suggested last week, the former Napoli playmaker should be one of the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or.
“I don’t think about it, everything that is happening is the consequence of hard work. My priority is the group. Rejoicing together with my teammates and friends, is more beautiful than rejoicing alone,” the Chelsea playmaker said at a press conference in Coverciano.
The Azzurri will face Belgium in the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2020 on Friday and Jorginho could meet De Bruyne for the first time since the Champions League Final won by the Blues against Manchester City in May.
However, De Bruyne is dealing with an ankle injury and is in doubt for the game against the Azzurri.
“We are aware there isn’t room for mistakes. It would be wrong to think we have already achieved something important,” said Jorginho.
“We need to work more and more. We are on the right path, we need to grit our teeth and we are doing it,” he continued.
“We must respect the first team in the ranking, but everybody has weak points, If I were the coach I’d try to find them and avoid their strong points.
“[Roberto] Mancini didn’t ask me for advice, he is the coach. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing to play against De Bruyne so many times. He makes the difference, his footballing intelligence is huge, above the average.
“It’s hard to stop him, he always finds the space. He should not be given time to turn around or he can become really difficult to stop.”
N’Golo Kante man-marked the Belgian star during the UEFA Champions League Final, so Nicolò Barella could do the same if De Bruyne is fit to play?
“I don’t know, it could be an option, but you should ask the coach, I don’t know if De Bruyne will play,” Jorginho admitted.
Inter star Romelu Lukaku will be another one to watch during the Allianz Arena tie on Friday with the Belgian striker who will once again meet Juventus defensive pair Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. But who will win the duel?
“If you ask me, I say Chiellini and Bonucci, it’s two against one….
“There are no surprises, there are no easy games,” Jorginho continued.
“Everybody has a great tactical organization. We continue to believe, we’ll see where we end up. I hope that the group’s hunger and determination will help us.”
Jorginho praised Italy coach Roberto Mancini and didn’t rule out becoming a coach at the end of his playing career.
“Mancini believes in us and we can feel it. He is helping and supporting us, all the time.
“Will I become a coach too? It could be, but once you become a coach, you have no more private life, let’s see.”