What does Riccardo Calafiori bring to Arsenal? | OneFootball

Riccardo Calafiori has now joined Arsenal from Serie A side Bologna after what has been a superb campaign for him. From the Serie A campaign under Thiago Motta to impressing for Italy at EURO 2024, it has been the sort of season that Calafiori could’ve only imagined of having when he had picked up a serious knee injury back in 2018.

Not just that, there was palpable anguish amongst multiple Roma fans when the defender (who was an out-and-out left-back then)joined Basel after having nearly broken into the first-team at the Giallorossi. This had come weeks after Roma’s 6-1 loss to Bodo/Glimt and manager Jose Mourinho had publicly slammed some players and that included Calafiori too.

The fact that he had joined Basel was a bit of a surprise, as there was a hope regarding a Serie A move. He recovered momentum quickly and soon, the move to Bologna came about and he found a manager in Thiago Motta, who made the most out of Calafiori’s strengths and used all of that for his system, which is based on verticality and moving possession forward quickly.

How was Calafiori used at Bologna?

As mentioned, Motta’s system brought the most out of Calafiori’s strength. Someone who was mainly a left-back at Roma and Basel, Calafiori has the skillset of carrying the ball forward and he used to do that job well, bombing forward from the wide areas but towards the end of his Basel stint, the Italian had been used as a centre-back too.

Motta brought Calafiori under his wing and especially this season, when his system was fully imposed, Calafiori became more of a centre-back than a full-back for the first time in his career.

The now Juventus boss placed heavy emphasis on having a numerical superiority in midfield and Calafiori’s ability to carry the ball forward meant that he often found himself in midfield, even while playing at centre-back. The club’s build-up shape made sure that Calafiori’s strength of ball-carrying was used well and it is only fitting that this trait helped Italy score against Croatia with the last kick of the ball in the group stages.

He often acted as the extra man in midfield and helped set the tone for the system. When there was a need, he often helped in the first phase of build-up, operating on the left side, distributing play and breaking the opposition press with his passing. At times, he also played on the right of the backline, offering versatility and his ability to understand the system stood out.

And under Motta, Calafiori matured as a footballer and it was clear that his understanding of a possession-dominant system also improved.

How does Calafiori fit in at Arsenal?

For starters, Calafiori raises the technical ceiling of the Arsenal backline and he is just a direct fit in Mikel Arteta’s system and approach, which is often based on keeping possession.

Arteta’s side also often build-up with a back three and that is where Calafiori will be immensely crucial. His physical growth over the last few years means that he might not be a full-back who flies forward. He would rather be exactly what Oleksandr Zinchenko is, as he would invert regularly into midfield, act as the extra man in the heart of the park.

While operating as a centre-back, he would complement William Saliba very well. Saliba possesses the recovery and 1v1 ability to hold a higher defensive line together and Calafiori is someone who is prolific while carrying the ball forward and while things would be slightly different from how they were at Bologna, the basic role would be to progress the ball.

Under Motta, Calafiori would often be the centre-back who comes into midfield but he would have to be the man who is dictating things from the back three. The fact that he is very good at it would help Arsenal go a level up technically. Since he can also play on the right of a centre-back pairing is another excellent added incentive.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN