Arsenal's hopes of gleaning the Premier League title for the first time since 2004 hang in the balance ahead of the daunting trip to Tyneside to face off against high-flying Newcastle United later today.
The Gunners had spent 17 consecutive match-weeks in the division's top spot before a 3-3 home draw against relegation-battling Southampton allowed current champions Manchester City to capitalise and reclaim their place.
The convincing 3-1 victory over hapless Chelsea in midweek ended a four-match winless run, but the damage has now been inflicted and bringing the trophy back to north London will now require Pep Guardiola's unrelenting side to cede territory in the closing weeks.
While the Citizens are notoriously all-engulfing in the final stages of a title-contesting season, there is every possibility that they could drop points, and if they do, Arsenal must pounce.
In order to maximise their chances of doing so, Arteta must unleash Jorginho against the Magpies to provide composure and control in the central battle against the likes of Bruno Guimaraes.
Should Arsenal start Jorginho v Newcastle?
Arsenal signed Jorginho from city rivals Chelsea for £12m in January, with the Gunners looking to bolster their title aspirations with a proven trophy winner and an assured presence to protect the backline, with reporter Melissa Reddy hailing the 31-year-old as a "leader".
The 47-cap Italy international signed for Chelsea from Napoli for an initial fee of £50m in 2018 and made 213 appearances, notably winning the Europa League and Champions League for the Blues before completing the switch in January.
At Arsenal, he has made 12 displays across all competitions and was particularly impressive in his previous match against Chelsea, completing 90% of his 69 attempted passes and winning three of his five contested ground duels, as per Sofascore.
With an average of 1.8 tackles per match this term and an 86% pass completion rate, the 2020 EURO winner could be vital in negating the skill set of Guimaraes, who was a transfer target for the Gunners before completing his £40m transfer to Tyneside in January 2022.
Over the past year, according to FBref, the Brazilian powerhouse ranks impressively among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's big five leagues for rate of assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions and the top 19% for progressive passes per 90, indicating that he is one of Howe's finest creative focal points from the centre.
By placing Jorginho, who ranks among the top 6% of positional peers for passes attempted and the top 13% for interceptions per 90, into the fold, Guimaraes' opportunities on the ball are only going to be limited, with Arsenal more likely to dictate the flow of the match from the point of possession given the north London side rank four places above United in the seasonal possession table.
Once praised as the "metronome" of his side by Italian journalist David Amoyal, the £110k-per-week maestro is just what Arsenal need to suffuse confidence and belief across the squad in these imperative closing matches, with his prestige and position as one of the finest players in Europe nullifying Newcastle's midfield.