Arsenal’s Premier League title defence has started swimmingly. Three games in, three wins. They sit level with Manchester City at the top of the table. Having breezed past newly-promoted Coventry City, they passed tough tests as they claimed narrow wins at Aston Villa and at home to Chelsea.
And having smashed City in the Community Shield in Cardiff last month, it’s been a solid start to the season for the Gunners. One player has been instrumental in the 100% start to the campaign. While new signing Christos Tzolis has started brightly, linking up well with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, it’s an unexpected star that is thriving for the north London side.
When Arsenal signed Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna two years ago, the Italian had just enjoyed a superb Euro 2024. Giorgio Scalvini’s unfortunately timed ACL injury paved the way for Calafiori to partner Alessandro Bastoni at the heart of the Azzurri backline. Admittedly, the European powerhouse endured an early last-16 exit at the hands of Switzerland, but Calafiori was a player who stood out.
A Premier League switch came to pass, as Arsenal won the race to sign the defender, who’d enjoyed a flying domestic season with Bologna, catching the eye at centre-back. It was in this role where he thrived under then-Italy boss Luciano Spalletti. However, as is well-documented, head coach Mikel Arteta likes his defenders to play a number of roles.
Calafiori’s best position was arguably at centre-back. He’d barely played left-back following his move to the Emirates Stadium. And yet Arteta signed the 24-year-old to play that position.
'Best left-back in the league'
Having endured an injury-hit debut campaign in London, Calafiori made the left-back spot his own. All 22 league starts last season came on the left side of the defence. Myles Lewis-Skelly, who’d impressed in Calafiori’s absence, suddenly couldn’t get a look in. That Arsenal signed Piero Hincapie as cover and competition for the Italian certainly played a part.
Even so, when available, Calafiori is one of the first names on the team sheet. “He’s the best left-back in the league by far,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said recently. And Carragher’s admission certainly carries weight. The Gunners star has been directly involved in three Arsenal goals already this season, providing two assists in England’s top tier.
It’s in the final third where Calafiori has routinely carried out his best work. He’s been Arsenal’s vital star down the left flank, this despite just 27% of Arsenal’s attacks coming down the left, the lowest in the Premier League this season. Even so, Calafiori is making the vital underlapping runs that has helped drag defenders out of position.
Tzolis holds width, and naturally attracts markers away from their designated space. This opens up gaps that Calafiori has sought to exploit. His goal against City in the Community Shield was a prime example. His assist against Coventry on the 2026/27 opening night was another. It was Calafiori’s run down the left that opened up the space for Tzolis to pick his pass for Odegaard for what proved to be the winning goal against Chelsea on Sunday.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that Calafiori has had as many shots as Tzolis (4) across the opening three league games. It’s one fewer than Havertz, and level with other select forwards, including Anthony Elanga, Harvey Barnes and Marcus Rashford.
Additionally, too, are the random positions that Calafiori has found himself in this season. As the above touch map shows, he’s been bombarding up the left flank, while at times operating as an auxiliary number 10, and even collecting possession on the right wing. This isn’t a left-back in the traditional sense.
“To play full-back for him, you've got to be a centre mid, a centre-back, a winger and a No 10,” Arsenal teammate Ben White has previously said. Calafiori understands the assignment, and then some.
Calafiori's evolving role
The role of full-back has evolved in recent years. Previously the position where the team’s outcast would slot in, it then became one of the most important players as teams asked their wingers to cut inside from their respective flanks, thus opening up space for the full-backs to exploit.
Arteta’s initial decision to effectively play four centre-backs across the backline drew comparisons with Stoke City. There is nothing of the Potters sort about the way Calafiori plays. He’s essentially been handed a free role by Arteta, and he’s grabbed the opportunity to gallivant forward with both hands. Keep him fit for the duration of the campaign, and he’ll be Arsenal’s prime attacking weapon in their bid to defend their crown.
