Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal now have a player who is ‘far and away’ the best in the Premier League in his position
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 1-0 on Monday night, continuing their perfect start to the Premier League title defence.
It was a win that rights the wrong of their defeat at Villa Park last season.
Bukayo Saka scored the only goal in the second half, pouncing on a cutback from Riccardo Calafiori — the Italian’s second assist in as many league games.
It’s another clean sheet for Arsenal, and more importantly, another three points.
And something that was said after the final whistle on Sky Sports will certainly please Arsenal fans.
Jamie Carragher hails Riccardo Calafiori the best left-back in the Premier League
Analysing the game on Monday Night Football, where Thierry Henry was the special guest, Jamie Carragher had glowing praise for Calafiori.
“For me I’m looking at Calafiori and thinking ‘what a player!’ For me it feels like he’s the best left-back in the league by a long way.”
He then broke down the goal in detail, praising Mikel Arteta’s use of his full-backs in attacking positions, before reiterating his point.
“For me Calafiori is by far and away the best left-back in the Premier League. He’s absolutely fantastic.”
Gary Neville, on commentary, named him Man of the Match too.
Carragher is surely right. Calafiori is operating at a level that we’re not seeing from any other left-back in the Premier League.
He picked up his second assist in as many games, after scoring after 23 seconds against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
But his attacking output is only part of the story. It’s the manner in which he contributes that really stands out.
The surging runs from deep, the composure in tight spaces, the ability to combine with the left winger, not to mention his defensive solidity.
John McGinn named him as one of the toughest opponents he has ever faced, explaining how surprised he was at how physically strong the Italian is.
And McGinn was kept quiet again on Monday night.
Piero Hincapie provides excellent cover and has his own strengths, particularly defensively.
But Calafiori, when fit and firing, gives Arsenal such a unique weapon that no other team in the league can replicate from the left-back position.
If he stays fit, he can have a huge impact for Arsenal this season. This feels like a take that people are going to start picking up on quickly.
