Mikel Arteta explains why Riccardo Calafiori didn’t play v Liverpool, hints when he could be involved

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal fell to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool as they ended their pre-season tour in the USA, and several players were missing.

Jurrien Timber impressed in the other friendlies, but given that he is still on the road to recovery after a long-term injury, he was left out of the Liverpool game for an extended rest.

Oleksandr Zinchenko started at left-back, but he had his usual hot and cold game, where he was defensively exposed against Mohamed Salah for the opening goal, but played a big part in Kai Havertz’s strike with a brilliant bit of play.

Zinchenko started in the absence of both Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, following the Italy international’s move from Bologna to Arsenal.

Calafiori joined the squad earlier this week after completing his move, but was deemed not yet ready to appear on the pitch following his arrival, and Mikel Arteta has now explained why.

Mikel Arteta explains Riccardo Calafiori absence in Arsenal defeat

Speaking in a press conference after the game, Arteta explained why he was reluctant to throw Calafiori straight into the action.

“We had to manage him. He had a very busy 48 hours before he took his flight and joined us here, and then it was the jetlag, it’s a lot of things,” he stated.

“He hasn’t trained with the team yet and we want to build him up slowly to get to know him first. We’ll have plenty of time to see him.”

Will Riccardo Calafiori start the Premier League season?

Arsenal have just two pre-season friendlies remaining as they will take on Bayer Leverkusen and Olympique Lyonnais, and Calafiori is expected to play some part in at least one of the games.

Both Zinchenko and Timber have appeared more in pre-season, and unless Calafiori impresses in at least one start, it feels likely that he will be eased in once the campaign starts.

Arsenal kick off the season at home to Wolves on August 17th, before a tough trip to Aston Villa, and Arteta will want Calafiori available for the clash with Unai Emery’s side given the speed they have on the wings.

• READ MORE: Arsenal’s Premier League fixture list for the 2024/25 season in full

Timber’s impressive form in pre-season means that he is well in contention to start the season at left-back, with Calafiori aiming to dethrone him, whilst Takehiro Tomiyasu returns from injury and Zinchenko aims to improve from his poor campaign last season