Calafiori picked up an assist against Bayern Munich.placeholder image
Calafiori picked up an assist against Bayern Munich. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta could be coaching a future legend of the game at Arsenal with the defender singled out for praise this week.
Arsenal continue to sparkle in the Premier League and Champions League with the latest 3-1 win over Bayern Munich making waves across the continent.
Mikel Arteta’s side look the real deal this season with different first team stars making the headlines each fixture. Last weekend, it was all about Eberechi Eze following his hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur and in midweek it has been Declan Rice and Noni Madueke earning praise.
One Gunners star who has perhaps somewhat flown under the radar is Riccardo Calafiori. The 23-year-old is part of the Arsenal defence that has come famously hard to breach, starting every Premier League game so far this term.
Arsenal defender shines in Bayern Munich cameo
Calafiori was only handed 22 minutes against Bayern Munich with Arteta keeping an eye on this weekend’s clash with Chelsea, but picked up an assist in that cameo. The player now has one goal and three assists across all competitions this term - which is already one more assist than he managed last season.
The full-back is becoming more and more of a threat going forwards as he grows in confidence and, after the Bayern Munich match, former England manager Fabio Capello drew comparisons between Calafiori and Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos.
Speaking on Sky Italia, he said: “You’re like a young Sergio Ramos, only left-footed. I’d put you in front of the back four, you’d be like Marcel Desailly, only with more quality on the ball.”
It’s high praise for the Arsenal man, who bashfully played down the comparisons. Calafiori will have some job pushing into midfield right now given the surplus of options available to Arteta but it is food for thought in terms of the future of his career.
Ramos earned a reputation for breaking the mould of a defender during his career, scoring 101 times for Real Madrid in 671 outings. That’s a phenomenal record for a defender.
Alan Shearer: ‘Riccardo Calafiori is off the charts’
Calafiori is a way off that output but Capello’s words come more as a reference to his attacking influence, and he’s not the first pundit to do so this term. Speaking about the Italian, as well as Jurrien Timber, on Match of the Day earlier this season, Alan Shearer had glowing words to share.
He said: “We’ve analysed Declan Rice this season, who was outstanding again today [vs Burnley]. We’ve looked at Gyokeres. Obviously, defensively, we’ve looked at them and they’re rock solid, but perhaps what we might not have seen so much is how such an important role is played by the two full backs.
“Timber and Calafiori. I mean, their stats really are off the charts, and it would be easy to say, ‘well, okay, because they dominated for large periods today, particularly in the first half’. This is not today. This is all season.
“Look at the stats for total shots. Calafiori’s second. Expected goals, touches in the opposition box, they’re so high up there, particularly compared to their forward players. And today was another great example of what a great strength it is to have them both.”
In other news, Tottenham lead Arsenal in £70m transfer race for bagsman who once failed Chelsea medical.
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