Riccardo Calafiori (left) has been one of Mikel Arteta’s star players.
Riccardo Calafiori (left) has been one of Mikel Arteta’s star players. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images
That gamble paid off as I Rossoblù unexpectedly qualified for the Champions League, elevating Calafiori from an unearthed gem to a national team regular. At that summer’s Euros, Spalletti freely compared him to the two modern greats of Italian defending; Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. The latter had something to say about that: Calafiori could prove to be even better. “Riccardo is different from the other defenders,” Bonucci gushed.
With the world at his feet and no shortage of interest, Calafiori was presented with another difficult choice. He’s convinced he made the correct one.
“I could see that was the right decision for me,” he says. “The whole environment, the whole staff members, they just want you to improve a lot. My idea was to come here to the best league in the world, to the most competitive league in the world. And I think it was the right decision for me to grow up as a player and as a man.
“And now I can say that I was right for sure.”
Calafiori ‘Instrumental’ to Solving Arsenal’s Current Woes
Riccardo Calafiori celebrating.
Riccardo Calafiori is Arsenal’s weapon of mayhem. | Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Calafiori’s move to Arsenal has proven to be just as beneficial for the team as the individual.
While his technical quality in possession is rightly revered, it’s fitting that Calafiori’s father initially handed his son the nickname “Ruspa”—Bulldozer—given his crucial role as Arsenal’s attacking agent of chaos.
“Richy has been instrumental, especially in the way that we attack,” Arteta beamed this week after welcoming Calafiori back from a month-long injury layoff. “He has unique qualities to occupy spaces and to create things that, probably, the qualities of the other fullbacks are different.”
During Calafiori’s absence, Arsenal were held to a pair of 0–0 draws by Liverpool and Nottingham Forest before falling to a frustrating and creatively sparse 3–2 reverse at home to Manchester United. Piero Hincapié, a natural centre back who never quite looks comfortable in the final third, and the right-footed Jurriën Timber, filled in for Calafiori during these fixtures, yet neither ever came close to replicating his bombastic approach.
Calafiori isn’t an inverted fullback so much as a roaming menace. In a team which operates under the straightjacket of Arteta’s tactical control, this roving 6'2" top-knot has the freedom to spread his limbs all over the pitch. After the first eight matches of the season, no player in Arsenal’s squad could better the left back’s tally of 16 shots. Up until Calafiori’s muscle injury over the Christmas break, he was still out-shooting star centre forward summer signing Viktor Gyökeres.
On top of the superior stats, Calafiori brings a sense of fun and spontaneity to an Arsenal team which can be difficult for some neutrals to watch at times. That element is crucial. As he is so keen to point out, Calafiori’s entire career in north London has always had its roots in pure emotion.
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Mikel Arteta had some encouraging news ahead of Sunday’s clash with Man Utd.
Mikel Arteta had some encouraging news ahead of Sunday’s clash with Man Utd. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Riccardo Calafiori (left) and Piero Hincapié whispering.
Riccardo Calafiori (left) and Piero Hincapié are both back in training for Arsenal. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Amad Diallo (right) and Bryan Mbeumo.
Amad Diallo (right) and Bryan Mbeumo are both threats down the right. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Martín Zubimendi
Martín Zubimendi will be crucial once again. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images