According to reports, there is a ‘primary’ reason behind Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta’s decision to favour Riccardo Calafiori over Myles-Lewis Skelly.
England international Lewis-Skelly was one of the breakout stars in the Premier League last season as he capitalised on Calafiori’s injury woes to cement himself as a first-team regular.
However, Lewis-Skelly has slipped behind Calafiori in the pecking order at Arsenal, with the Italy international starting their opening three Premier League games.
Calafiori has arguably been Arsenal’s best player at the start of this campaign, grabbing a goal and two assists in his three Premier League appearances.
Lewis-Skelly, meanwhile, has only been on the pitch for 44 minutes this season, and he was an unused substitute against Liverpool in Arsenal’s final game before the international break.
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Now, a report from The Daily Mail has revealed ‘what’s going on with Lewis-Skelly’, with the ‘primary factor’ behind his ‘fall’ being ‘Calafiori’s rise’.
The report claims:
‘Arteta recognises that the 23-year-old Italian has a lot more experience, and particularly as an out-and-out defender rather than a converted one, as Lewis-Skelly is. Arsenal insiders say Calafiori has impressed staff in the way he has returned to training after battling back from injuries.
‘And despite Lewis-Skelly’s greater comfort in midfield, having come through the Arsenal academy as a box-to-box powerhouse, Calafiori brings much to the table from an attacking perspective, too.’
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The report has also claimed that Lewis-Skelly has been looking to improve his game, with ‘new assistant coach Gabriel Heinze working hard with him on crossing balls into the box and how to better utilise attacking scenarios’.
Lewis-Skelly has also been questioned over his disciplinary record, and earlier this year, Arteta admitted he is on a “really thin line”.
“A lesson to learn for him for sure. We will support and help him. The line is really thin in sport and he needs to understand that,” said Arteta.
“It wasn’t the moment to take any risk. He’s very intelligent, he’s extremely demanding of himself. He’s a perfectionist. He’s got a great environment around him – he’s here to learn as well.”
He added: “You need to dominate the space you are defending.
“What is the level of exposure that you have? Is the opponent facing you or not facing you? What is the probability to win that ball and when you have to commit to certain duels?
“Then you have to apply defensive principles [which] are very clear. If you don’t do that at this level it’s a big problem.”