Cape Town - Ross Barkley has praised Chelsea team-mate Jorginho after their 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town, stating that his fellow midfielder is crucial for the Premier League giants.
With new head coach Maurizio Sarri calling the shots, the Blues lined up with a three-man midfield against the Terriers on Saturday, two of which got on the scoresheet.
N'Golo Kante and Barkley played on either side of Jorginho, who slotted a penalty after Kante opened the scoring in the 34th minute.
"He's (Jorginho) pivotal to the way we play," Barkley told the club's official website.
"He's a real top-quality player, he gets on the ball, gets us playing and against Huddersfield you could see that's the way it's going to be this season."
He added: "With the system that we're playing now it gives one of the three midfielders license to get into the box, N'Golo was in there against Huddersfield and got the goal."
Asked whether he expects to become a regular starter for Sarri's side this season, Barkley said: "That depends on how I perform and hopefully I showed I can start and stay in his thoughts.
"There's a lot of competition at top sides like us so my focus is just to do what I can on the pitch and help the team win games."
Chelsea’s next opponents are London rivals Arsenal on Saturday, August 18 at Stamford Bridge.
Kick-off is at 18:30 (SA time).