Arteta’s £42m choice: Calafiori’s Italy masterclass shows why he is key for Arsenal

At the tail end of last season, Myles Lewis-Skelly looked to have cemented his place in Mikel Arteta’s line-up, featuring in almost every Premier League match and playing in high-profile clashes against Real Madrid and PSG. But just three games into the new campaign, Lewis-Skelly appears to have slipped into a peripheral role, restricted to […] The post Arteta’s £42m choice: Calafiori’s Italy masterclass shows why he is key for Arsenal appeared first on Just Arsenal News.

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Arteta’s £42m choice: Calafiori’s Italy masterclass shows why he is key for Arsenal

At the tail end of last season, Myles Lewis-Skelly looked to have cemented his place in Mikel Arteta’s line-up, featuring in almost every Premier League match and playing in high-profile clashes against Real Madrid and PSG.

But just three games into the new campaign, Lewis-Skelly appears to have slipped into a peripheral role, restricted to minutes off the bench.

The reason is that Arteta has opted to go with Riccardo Calafiori.

While Calafiori has done plenty to justify Arteta’s trust, Lewis-Skelly has shown flashes of his quality when introduced, particularly in the Leeds fixture, doing enough to stake a claim for a return to the starting XI.

Italy 5-0 Estonia: Calafiori’s playmaker masterclass

The Arsenal defender impressed as Italy ran riot in a 5–0 win. Playing the full 90 minutes, Calafiori stamped his authority on the game with:

117 touches
99 completed passes, including 13 in the final third
2 key passes
2 chances created
2 accurate long balls

It was a performance that led Italian outlets to dub him a de facto playmaker, a tag that likely explains why Arteta wants him on the pitch whenever he is fit and available.

Italian media reaction highlighted his influence. According to Leggo:

“A modern Premier League player. He defends and sets up plays with extraordinary ease.”

As cited by Corriere della Sera:

“He’s one of the de facto playmakers when it comes to the balls he works with, and when he raises the tempo, it’s noticeable.”

Arteta’s tactical thinking

While Lewis-Skelly is effective at helping Arsenal maintain possession and build from deep, it is clear Arteta sees Calafiori as an additional creative outlet, someone who can ease the burden on Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard when it comes to chance creation.

To the Spaniard, Calafiori offers more than defensive solidity, he brings another playmaker to the pitch.

Your thoughts Gooners?

Daniel O

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