This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Chelsea secured their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Lille but they could only qualify in second place after Valencia secured top spot with a 1-0 win in Amsterdam.

What's the word?

There were plenty of excellent individual displays worth noting at Stamford Bridge, but Jorginho's return to the starting XI particularly caught the eye of Sky Sports journalist Nick Wright.

On a night of such importance to the club's silverware ambitions Frank Lampard's players stood up to the challenge and proved there is substance to this stylish outfit.

Buoyed by the return of Antonio Rudiger, the defence looked solid throughout but Jorginho was also reinstated into the starting XI after sitting on the bench against both Everton and Aston Villa.

That decision was a fruitful one as the 27-year-old thrived at the base of the midfield, earning a glowing review from Wright in the aftermath of proceedings, per Sky Sports.

"Jorginho ran the midfield. The Italy midfielder has been in and out of the Chelsea team lately, but he has been talked up as a "leader" by Lampard this season and this performance was another example of his value to the side.

"As well as the usual probing passes, he made more tackles and interceptions than anyone else, helping Chelsea keep Lille under pressure."

A player transformed under Lampard

Maurizio Sarri's decision to bring Jorginho to Chelsea in the summer of 2018 was widely scrutinised throughout the Italian's fleeting reign in west London.

Back in April, Paul Scholes suggested that he wasn't compatible with N'Golo Kante in midfield and that feeling was prevalent throughout much of the footballing world.

The holding midfielder seemed integral to the system the manager was looking to champion, yet his influence was scarcely noticeable at times.

Underwhelmed supporters voiced their discontent when they booed him onto the field in February this year, but his reputation amongst the Blues faithful has skyrocketed ever since; perhaps Sarri was holding back Jorginho all along.

Wright's claim that the former Napoli metronome ran the midfield is no exaggeration. During the 90 minutes he completed more passes (73) than any of Chelsea's midfielders or attackers, made three interceptions and completed four tackles, per Whoscored, proving that he can offer a blend of creativity and solidity from the defensive midfield position.

This was by no means a rare or exceptional performance from him either, and this recent endorsement attests to how rapidly his reputation has blossomed since Lampard's arrival.