The former Italy international left Arsenal last summer to join Flamengo after two and a half years at the Emirates Stadium, during which he made 79 appearances — only 46 from the start. Speaking to The Times ahead of Arsenal's title decider against Manchester City on Sunday, Jorginho was blunt about why he moved on.
"I want to feel alive and important for the team. When a player is not on the pitch, it's hard to keep motivated. I felt I needed to go somewhere where I was going to play with joy."
On Arsenal's set-piece operation, which has produced 19 of their 62 Premier League goals this season — a league-leading 31 per cent — Jorginho had nuanced views.
"It does feel like homework, that's the reality. But when you do your homework and then you have the test, you have a good result. I think people are realising now the importance of set pieces. Why is it a problem to focus and work more on it, when you get the results from that which make everybody happy?"
He added a note of caution, however. "But the thing is, if you focus just on this, and then you forget about the football side, then of course you're not going to have beautiful football. So I think it's all about balance."
Arsenal lead the Premier League but lost ground last weekend with a defeat at Bournemouth, allowing City to close to six points — though the Etihad club have a game in hand. A City win on Sunday would put them level on points and in control of the title race.
Jorginho urged his former teammates to stay focused rather than dwell on three previous near-misses. "I hope they forget about the last few years, because if they think about it, then they could put pressure on themselves. I think they just should realise how strong they are and what a strong position they are in."