Competition for places is driving standards even higher and will help Chelsea cope with a hectic upcoming winter schedule, according to Jorginho.
The midfielder was speaking at a pre-match press conference via video link from Cobham prior to travelling to Spain ahead of tomorrow night’s Champions League matchday five clash with Sevilla.
He has started every game in the group stage to date and could be in line for another appearance in Andalusia after Frank Lampard hinted that changes from the weekend draw with Tottenham were likely in order to manage the group through a busy period of games.
The match with Sevilla will be our first of eight in the month of December but Jorginho feels a fully-fit squad could give the Blues an edge.
‘It’s a big squad so we can make changes and keep the level of the team high,’ he explained to reporters on Tuesday afternoon. ‘That’s a good thing for us. Competition is good because it makes the level of training higher and means we have to work even harder to have a chance to play.
‘Everyone wants to play but the most important thing is that we try to win and that we are winning. When the call comes, I’m working hard to be prepared for that.’
Last time out in the Champions League, Lampard’s side snatched a late victory in France as Rennes were defeated by a stoppage-time header from Olivier Giroud. From his vantage point further down the pitch, Jorginho watched as the striker soared through the air to power us into the last-16 and he admitted it was a moment that meant even more because of the identity of the scorer.
‘Everyone loves him because he’s such a nice guy and he deserves it,’ Jorginho said of Giroud. ‘I was so happy for Oli because of the person he is, the way he works every single day with a smile.
‘He brings so much to our group, not just on the pitch but in the changing room as well so when I saw the ball going in, I was just so happy. That’s football and that’s why I love it. You never know what’s going to happen and in that moment it was an amazing feeling.’
With qualification to the knockout round already confirmed, the fight turns to top spot at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Spain’s fourth-largest city. Chelsea and Sevilla are currently tied on 10 points each in Group E and, following the goalless draw between the sides at Stamford Bridge in October, a score draw would give the Blues the head-to-head advantage over the Spaniards ahead of the final round of matches next week.
Jorginho claims only victory is on the mind of his team-mates, although they know the tough challenge Los Palanganas will provide.
‘We have big respect for them because they are very organised,’ he added. ‘We will need to press well and it will be a game for details because it’s a high level of football.
‘It’s a big opportunity for us to try to win the group. We know finishing on top is a big thing so we’re going to try to win the game to do that.’