Arsenal players pose for a team group photo before the Community Shield vs Manchester City
Arsenal players pose for a team group photo before the Community Shield vs Manchester City
Arsenal have got one of the strongest squads in all of world football, and it shows with their performances on the pitch.
The Gunners came from behind against Leeds this past weekend to win 2-1, making it eight wins in nine games in all competitions for the current campaign, leaving them three points behind Man City in the Premier League table, and in the next round of the EFL Cup.
A large part of their success in recent years under Mikel Arteta has been the strength of their defence. Goalkeeper David Raya has won the Golden Glove award in each of the last three Premier League campaigns, and the team has started in a similar fashion this season, keeping five clean sheets in their nine games, including the Community Shield.
Raya is now very firmly in the conversation to be among the best goalkeepers in the world, with his closest competition probably Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois these days. But his place as the top stopper in the Premier League isn't in question these days.
But while Arsenal also have two of the best defenders in the world in William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, some of the top midfielders around in Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes, and arguably the biggest wonderkid in football today in Max Dowman, there is less definitiveness about those.
However, there is one star in their squad, who there should be no doubt about anymore. The more he plays, the more obvious it is - Riccardo Calafiori is the best left-back in the world.
Is there competition? Absolutely. PSG star Nuno Mendes is an exceptional talent and is right up there with the Italian competing for that honour, while players like Marc Cucurella and Alphonso Davies are also at that level when they are playing at their best.
But Calafiori is able to offer something extra that those players can't, and that should put him above them in any conversations.
Calafiori Is The Best in the World
calafiori
Jamie Carragher has been known to be critical of players, and it's rare that he makes such definitive statements about players. But when it comes to defenders, he knows what he is talking about, and he told everyone his true feelings about the Italy international earlier in this campaign.
"He's the best left-back in the league by far," Carragher said.
But it's fair to take that one step further now. His goal against Leeds means he now ranks second in Europe for the most goal contributions by a defender this season, with three goals and two assists, while his possession in play and ability to take up positions in midfield make him a tactical unicorn for Arteta to use.
He's becoming an unstoppable force for the Gunners, and alongside Raya, it's now fair to say that Arsenal have two players, at least, who are the best in the world in their position.