How Calafiori has become 'the best left-back in the league by far'

Riccardo Calafiori: How Arsenal's defender has emerged as one of the Premier League's best left-backs Riccardo Calafiori has been called "the best left-back in the Premier League by far" by Jamie Carragher; the Italian has started the season with a goal in the Community Shield and two assists against Coventry and Aston Villa; Sky Sports' Sam Blitz analyses Calafiori's wild positioning Monday 7 September 2026 14:01, UK Riccardo Calafiori returns to Italy with Arsenal this week - and he's a very different player compared to the one who departed for England two years ago. When Arsenal came in for Calafiori, he was regularly playing at centre-back at Bologna. Those who guided his career had doubts about whether he could reach the highest level as a left-back. But now, Calafiori is not just thriving as a left-back for the Premier League champions. "He's the best left-back in the league by far," says Jamie Carragher. - Transfer Centre LIVE! | Arsenal news & transfers🔴⚪ - Arsenal fixtures & scores | FREE Arsenal highlights▶️ - Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱 - Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 As well as being part of an imperious Arsenal defence, the Italian has started this season on fire in front of goal, scoring in the Community Shield win over Manchester City and getting assists in the league victories over Coventry and Aston Villa. VAR spotting an offside Ezri Konsa denied Calafiori getting on the scoresheet against Chelsea, but the Italian did have a crucial role in Arsenal's winning goal, scored by Martin Odegaard. In the build-up, Calafiori's run inside of Christos Tzolis helped drag Pedro Neto into a back five - putting more Chelsea players behind the ball and rubberstamping Arsenal's dominance on the game. "He dictated the formation of Chelsea," said Carragher, analysing the goal on Sky Sports. "Wherever Calafiori was, Neto was. When Calafiori drops forward, Neto drops into make a back five. "Chelsea were flittering between a back four in the main and a back five. It's all about the positioning of Calafiori." But that was not all. Calafiori kept going. His run into the penalty area then dragged centre-back Maxence Lacroix with him and created a 14.4-yard gap between the Chelsea defender and his partner Wesley Fofana. That was all the space Arsenal needed for Kai Havertz to dummy the ball to Odegaard, who finished with ease. But again, that's not all. Because we've seen that exact same move from Arsenal before. Arsenal's third goal in the Community Shield win over City had the same characteristics. A run and ball in from Tzolis, a dummy from Havertz - and Odegaard comfortably scoring. But crucially, it had the same underlapping run made by Calafiori - which created the same large centre-back gap between Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. "You see the space between the centre-backs, that comes from Calafiori," added Carragher. "This is the impact he's having on games at left-back." But can his position really be described as 'left-back', given Calafiori is effectively operating as an extra attacker for this Arsenal team? The Italian has a habit of popping up everywhere, from centre forward to right wing. It was seen in the first half against Chelsea, when Calafiori ventured from the left to the right flank in the same attacking move - taking just eight seconds to pop up in a completely different role. "That's Ricci though!" said former Arsenal winger Leandro Trossard in November when asked by Sky Sports about Calafiori's wild positioning. "He pops up everywhere - in the pockets, as a striker - that unpredictability can hurt teams. "I know what he can do and where he can pop up in what position. Sometimes I can play a ball blind to him and I know he will be there." It seems, on the basis of the goals Odegaard scored against Man City and Chelsea, that Calafiori has a similar understanding building with new winger Tzolis. It is not just Calafiori who does this, as Ben White is also tasked with taking rogue positions in the Arsenal attack. He was also seen in a hybrid centre-forward role during the Chelsea game at times. While White tends to take the role of a more traditional full-back compared to Calafiori's maverick positioning, his tactical flexibility is summed up by the fact that he ranks top of overlapping runs in the Premier League this season, and fourth for underlapping runs. "Playing full-back the way he [Mikel Arteta] wants is, I think, completely different to any other manager," White told Sky Sports in the 2023-24 season. "To play full-back for him, you've got to be a centre mid, a centre-back, a winger and a No 10." When fully fit, Arsenal are a well-oiled machine that are a nightmare to prepare for tactically. "They push you to the limits," said Xabi Alonso after his Chelsea team came away from the Emirates with a 2-1 defeat. Every player has to be accounted for in defending. No player can be left unmarked or unwatched for long. Calafiori is the epitome of why Arsenal are so difficult to play against. It shows why so many teams revert to a low block against Arsenal. There are so many attackers to play against. And if you try to take Arsenal on - thereby opening yourselves up in defence - you get what Chelsea got. [Image text:] Arsenal Arsenall toc de