Recently, the Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori made his Arsenal debut against Lyon and Mikel Arteta is impressed with his performance. Arteta spoke about the versatility of the young defender. Arteta said that the entire Emirates stadium welcomed Calafiori because everyone is excited about him. Arsenal need a center back of his quality.
Last season, the Gunners produced the best defensive display in the entire English Premier League. With the addition of Calafiori, they have bolstered their defense. Now Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Riccardo Calafiori will form a defensive wall at the Emirates.
After the game, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provided some updates about Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurien Timber. He said that Tomiyasu will be out for a few weeks because the defender is still suffering from injury. On the other hand, Jurien Timber is recovering from leg injury which is a good news for the Arsenal fans. Both are important players for Mikel Arteta.
Arteta’s opinion on new Arsenal defender
After the preseason match against Lyon, Mikel Arteta has spoken out on Calafiori’s performance. According to Mirror, he said that the Arsenal fans love the Italian defender. He is getting support from the fans. Arsenal boss believes that this is a great thing for any player.
Arteta praised the versatility of the young Italian defender. He added that Calafiori can play in multiple positions. This will certainly help Arsenal to improve as a team. Versatile players like Calafiori always provide a lot of options to the manager. That is why the managers can employ a flexible gameplan.
Details of the match
Arsenal have bagged two goals against a team like Lyon. This will certainly boost their confidence. The first goal came from an in-swinging long ball from Declan Rice where William Saliba headed the ball into Lyon’s net. There was so much power in the header that the Lyon goalkeeper Perri was unable to save the header.
After Saliba’s goal, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes scored from a corner. Declan Rice provided an in-swinging delivery from the corner. Lyon players were completely clueless against Arsenal defense.
On the other hand, Riccardo Calafiori delivered a brilliant defensive performance for Arsenal. In the debut match, he has been able to keep a clean sheet. This is a massive accomplishment for the young Italian defender. Everyone is expecting a fantastic season from the young defender.
Expectations for next season
In recent years, the Gunners have emerged as the new contenders for the Premier League title. They are playing beautiful and effective football.
After the Community Shield win against Manchester United, Pep Guardiola was asked about Arsenal’s condition, and he said that the Gunners have maintained the same tempo just like last season. The Manchester City boss also believes that Mikel Arteta’s team are getting stronger each and every season.
There is another team which can win Premier League, and it is Liverpool. The Reds have shown some glimpse of their talent because they defeated Arsenal in a preseason game. So, Arne Slot’s Liverpool can also compete these two in-form teams. So, this year’s title race will be an interesting one to watch.
Recent Arsenal performances
The Gunners began their preseason with a victory against AFC Bournemouth. Although they won the match in a tiebreaker, it boosted their confidence. Gradually, their performance improved. If they want to win the Premier League, they have to be consistent throughout the entire season.
After that, Arsenal faced Liverpool on their preseason tour, but it turned out to be a difficult fixture for Arteta’s team. Arne Slot’s experienced Liverpool team slaughtered Arsenal with their silent assassins like Mohammed Salah. Now we are excited to see how Arsenal will compete with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
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