Arsenal duo Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard came up against each other in the game between Italy and Belgium in the Nations League.
Both players have had a good season for Arsenal so far.
Calafiori joined the Gunners from Bologna in the summer and has become a fan favourite at the Emirates. Trossard, on the other hand, has filled in for Martin Odegaard after his injury and has done a great job.
The two players started for their respective countries against each other in Rome on Thursday night, and one of them got the better of the other.
Italian media deliver verdict on Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori’s display vs Belgium
Calafiori has played most of this season as a left-back for Arsenal, but he started on the left side of a three-man defence for Italy against Belgium.
The 22-year-old made a tremendous name for himself with the Azzurri during Euro 2024. That’s when he announced himself to the world and perhaps even convinced Arsenal to sign him.
Calafiori was solid for large parts of the game on Thursday night as well, but one thing that happened in the second half has given rise to some criticism.
The Italian’s Arsenal teammate, Trossard, found himself free in the box right after a corner and he managed to score.
Trossard has earned rave reviews from the Belgian media, but the Italian press have been critical of Calafiori for losing his teammate inside the box.
FC Inter 1908 gave Calafiori a 6/10 rating and wrote: “Less convincing than the matches against France and Israel.
“He loses Trossard behind him in the 2-2 goal.”
Eurosport in Italy gave him a 5.5/10 rating and said: “Clean performance until the 61st minute, when he was caught from behind by Trossard and Belgium equalised.
“In a situation of numerical equality, he had been an insurmountable wall like his teammates.”
Finally, Virgilio Sport rated Calafiori 5/10 and wrote: “He leaves Trossard’s mark and the 29-year-old from Arsenal does not forgive.”
READ MORE: Riccardo Calafiori makes bold promise to Arsenal fans, he’s really confident
Calafiori’s stats vs Belgium are impressive despite his error
It’s a shame that a small lapse in concentration has led to a poor rating for Calafiori.
Yes, the Italian should’ve done better to prevent Trossard’s goal, but his performance overall against Belgium deserves a lot of praise.
In his 90 minutes on the pitch, Calafiori had 55 touches of the ball and completed 38 out of his 42 attempted passes, thus maintaining an impressive 90 per cent passing accuracy.
He also made four clearances, blocked a shot, made a tackle and wasn’t dribbled past a single time in the entire game, despite Belgium having a numerical advantage for over 50 minutes. (Sofascore)
Those are some impressive numbers from Calafiori. Trossard’s goal should take nothing away from the Italian’s performance in Rome on Thursday night.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
