Mikel Arteta sees full backs in a different way to most managers. While most players in this position are charged with getting up and down the wing, possibly putting in a cross and making a tackle every so often, Arsenal\u2019s full backs are key to their creativity as a team. Riccardo Calafiori has quickly come to embody this.<\/p>\n
Signed from Bologna in the summer transfer window, Calafiori has been deployed on the left side of Arsenal\u2019s defence. This is despite the 22-year-old playing as a centre back for much of his career, most recently with the Italian national team at Euro 2024. This was where Calafiori caught the eye of most supporters.<\/p>\n
For Italy, Calafiori was given the freedom to get forward from the back, often dribbling into midfield and the attacking third with the ball at his feet. This is the quality Arteta has harnessed and taken to the extreme by using Calafiori as a left back. The 22-year-old, however, is playing the position unlike any other left back in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
In fact, Calafiori is essentially playing as an auxiliary number 10 for Arsenal such is the leash he has to get in between the lines. This has been particularly important in the absence of Martin Odegaard who has missed the last month through injury. Somewhat bizarrely, Calafiori is helping to compensate for the loss of the Norwegian\u2019s attacking creativity.<\/p>\n
The Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain provided the best illustration of Calafiori\u2019s role for Arsenal. The Italian was quick to get forward from his position at left back, breaking into space between the PSG defence and midfield where the visitors to the Emirates Stadium were unclear on how to pick him up.<\/p>\n
Calafiori is a chaos merchant and has helped prevent Arsenal becoming predictable this season. Under Arteta, the Gunners have become one of the strongest defensive units anywhere in European football, but the full backs are key to getting Arsenal out from the backline and into the attack. It\u2019s not just Calafiori on the left, it\u2019s Ben White on the right as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has the capacity to occupy different spaces, he\u2019s really comfortable with that, he\u2019s already done that in Italy and that\u2019s why we signed him,\u201d said Arteta about Calafiori\u2019s position and his impact.\u201cFirst of all, he\u2019s a great defender, he has this presence and energy and full commitment in the reaction that he does and he\u2019s really brave. He doesn\u2019t care in those situations, he wants the ball, he wants to make things happen with it and is happy to play in different roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arsenal have spent the last few years building out their squad to support a Premier League title challenge. Arteta and sporting director Edu have methodically strengthened each area of the team. Last summer, they replaced Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya. Declan Rice arrived from West Ham and Jurrien Timber from Ajax.<\/p>\n
This summer, Mikel Merino was signed from Real Sociedad to give Arsenal another midfield option. Calafiori joined and has rapidly shown himself to be an upgrade on Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko who had previously played at left back for the Gunners over the last two campaigns.<\/p>\n
White was Arteta\u2019s first full back project, initially signed from Brighton as a centre back, but ultimately transformed into an attack-minded chaos agent on the right side of the Arsenal backline. Now, the Gunners have another full back project on the other side and Calafiori has given Arteta plenty to mould. His qualities make him unique. There is no other full back like the Italian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mikel Arteta sees full backs in a different way to most managers. While most players in this position are charged with getting up and down the wing, possibly putting in a cross and making a tackle every so often, Arsenal\u2019s full backs are key to their creativity as a team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":54847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272],"class_list":["post-56846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome"],"yoast_head":"\n