Arsenal’s defence is one of the best in the world.
The Gunners often struggled in that department towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s tenure and under Unai Emery. That cost them at the time.
Mikel Arteta, however, has taken Arsenal’s defence to a whole new level, and Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba’s partnership is the biggest reason why.
The centre-halves are among the best in the world in their position, and their performances for Arsenal have been nothing short of incredible.
However, there is another defender everyone should keep an eye on.
Leonardo Bonucci tells everyone to watch out for Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori
Leonardo Bonucci is one of Serie A’s greatest-ever defenders.
The Italian spent over a decade at Juventus across two spells, and he was absolutely incredible for them. He was sensational for the national team too and played a big part in helping them win the Euros against England.
Bonucci is the man to go to if you want to talk about defending, and the legendary Italian has a word of advice for people looking out for the next great defender.
In a video on LiveScore’s social handles, the Juventus icon was asked to name ‘one Italian defender that everyone needs to look out for’.
Bonucci quickly named Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori.
He said: “Riccardo Calafiori! Because he’s a friend, and he’s a big personality.
“I love his kind of playing football, and he has become a big, big player in the whole world.”
Mikel Arteta needs to manage Calafiori differently
Calafiori has already produced a few magical moments at Arsenal.
The Italian only joined the club last summer, but some of his performances in the famous red and white have made fans fall in love with him.
However, Calafiori has had terrible luck with injuries. He has already missed 16 games for club and country since joining the Gunners, and that number is set to increase.
Calafiori suffered another knee injury while on international duty last week, and he is expected to be sidelined for at least a little while as a result.
That is not a good look at all. We think Arteta should manage him very differently compared to others. The Italian should not be overused and must be protected whenever he can.
The last thing Arsenal need is Calafiori having the same struggles that Takehiro Tomiyasu has been going through over the last few years.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
