One of Arsenal’s players delivered a solid performance for his country on Friday night that led to his nation’s media deeming him “flawless” and a “huge presence”.
With the international break in full swing, Arsenal fans have been keeping tabs on their players turning out for their nations.
Obviously the main concern for fans is their players’ fitness, but their performances also come under the spotlight.
So when one of Arsenal’s players earns good reviews and clocks up some impressive statistics in a 5-0 win, it’s certainly something to celebrate.
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Riccardo Calafiori deemed ‘flawless’ in Italy’s 5-0 win over Estonia
The player in question is Riccardo Calafiori, who delivered an impressive performance for Italy in their 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Estonia.
The £42million Arsenal man impressed not only in his role in defence, but also as an auxiliary playmaker.
Leggo awarded Calafiori a 7.5 out of 10, writing: “A modern Premier League player. He defends and sets up plays with extraordinary ease.
“He always knows what he needs to do and does it very well. Special.”
Meanwhile, Tuttomercatoweb gave him a 6.5 out of 10 and wrote: “In this formation with four forwards, he can’t consistently display his offensive forays, but his performance is good.
“Defensively, he’s flawless.”
And Corriere della Sera gave him 6 out of 10, writing: “He’s one of the de facto playmakers when it comes to the balls he works with, and when he raises the tempo, it’s noticeable.”
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Riccardo Calafiori’s impressive stats for Italy vs Estonia
Calafiori completed a staggering 99 passes on the night, including 13 in the final third and two key passes.
He also took 117 touches of the ball, created two chances and delivered two accurate long balls.
Calafiori also chipped in defensively, registering three clearances, three recoveries, one interception and one tackle.
In addition, no Estonian player dribbled past him.
Calafiori really is a ‘unicorn’ of a player and it’ll be exciting to see how he fares this season – both in red and in blue.
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