Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has generated attention for his performance against West Ham.
Calafiori suffered an injury keeping away from Mikel Arteta’s XI however, the Italian has since returned to fight for his space.
Signed in the summer, Calafiori has been praised for his early impact at Arsenal, giving the North Londoners’ a stronger outlet at left back.
While fans have been impressed by Calafiori, some still have reservations about the versatile defender, which is an opinion shared by many.
Arsenal fans react to Riccardo Calafiori vs West Ham
In the first half of the action against West Ham on match day 13 of the Premier League season, Calafiori’s defensive actions continued to be questioned by fans.
After taking the lead through Gabriel Magalhaes, Arsenal coasted to keep their lead intact, something that almost didn’t last for very long.
Crysencio Summerville put the ball in the net to level the scoreline however, the goal was ruled out for offside, something that was lucky for Calafiori more than anyone.
“Calafiori wake up I beg,” one frustrated fan said after Summerville scored, another saying, “Terrible defending from Calafiori”.
The Italy international was at fault for presenting West Ham with the chance to score, something that supporters quickly latched onto.
“That Calafiori back pass was suicidal, thank goodness it was off,” one said, with another replying, “Calafiori has been poor. Always suspect.”
Signed in the summer, the former Serie A star has been strong for the Gunners however, his defensive knowledge has been questioned at times.
Against West Ham, questions about the former Bologna ace continued, with one fan saying, “Calafiori is very sloppy. He don’t cut that out then Mikel won’t take it for long.”
Another agreed by simply saying, “Calafiori behave,” while another agreed by saying, “Calafiori is so clumsy man oh my word, if that was onside..”
After the lows on the left side during the 2023/24 campaign, Arsenal fans were desperate to see an upgrade on Oleksandr Zinchenko.
“Calafiori needs to straighten up. If that was Zinchenko…” One supporter speculated, while another dubbed the 22-year-old ‘horrendous’.
“I need Calafiori to wake up cos that was horrendous.”
Calafiori is still adapting
There’s not doubt that Arsenal made the right decision by signing Calafiori however, as expected, the italian has a lot to learn.
Having mastered his craft in his homeland, the expectation is now for the defender to prove his worth in one of the most challenging leagues in world football.
For the most part, Calafiori is doing well although, there’s become a recurring theme of questioning the left-back’s approach when playing on the flank in Arteta’s side.
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