Arsenal fans were left stunned by what one player was doing in the early stages of the friendly against Newcastle United.
For the first time in pre-season, Arsenal faced Premier League opposition, coming up against Newcastle in Singapore.
It’s always a lively affair when the Gunners face the Magpies, as we saw last season in both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
Mikel Arteta named a strong starting XI to test against Eddie Howe’s side, including handing new signing Martin Zubimendi his first start.
Arsenal fans notice Riccardo Calafiori’s position vs Newcastle
It wasn’t only Zubimendi that fans were looking at against Newcastle, as another player popped up into conversation in the early stages of the contest.
In the back four, Arteta started Riccardo Calafiori at centre-back, moving the Italian in from his usual role at left-back.
Calafiori had a tough first season at Arsenal due to injury, but if there’s one thing that the defender showed, it was versatility.
Against Newcastle, fans saw more of the same, as the Italian burst forward to contribute in attack.
“Calafiori is waste as CB,” one supporter said, as a conversation about Calafiori’s offensive strengths started to flow.
“Guys please look at Calafiori this guy is playing free roaming CB.”
“Calafiori’s attacking IQ is so good for a CB. What am I watching?”
“Calafiori forgets he’s a defender sometimes. Man just wants to attack.”
No one could forget the goal that the 2024 signing scored at the Etihad from outside of the box, a finish of a player who has many strings to his bow.
“Calafiori had got to stay fit, such an offensive machine,” an Arsenal fan said during the Newcastle clash.
“The positions Calafiori pops up in cracks me up,” another echoed.
“Calafiori still popping up in dangerous spots playing at centre back, he can’t help himself.”
“Calafiori is so clutch offensively. Might as well put him in the LW at this point.”
One supporter saw the funny side of Calafiori’s positioning during the game.
“Calafiori is so funny. That man cares about two things – going forward and vibes.”
Calafiori will be a talking point next season
What is interesting is that at present, Calafiori doesn’t have a starting position in the Arsenal squad.
Nobody would’ve anticipated Myles Lewis-Skelly’s rise, with the Hale End graduate’s burst onto the scene blocking Calafiori’s chances of being a starting left-back.
With the central defensive vacancies allocated, Calafiori will be one to watch next season, as Arteta has something to consider when choosing where to deploy the 23-year-old.
Could another shock attacking role appear at Arsenal, just as it did for Mikel Merino? Only time will tell.
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