'Great dedication': National media praise £42m Arsenal star after dazzling defensive performance
Arsenal left-back Riccardo Calafiori had a solid performance for Italy during their 1-1 Nations League draw against France on Friday night.
The Azzurri suffered a defeat in their opening Nations League match against Belgium before returning to winning ways against Turkey on the road.
They had a tougher assignment against Les Bleus away yesterday, but produced a superb performance to pick up a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch, and he made several crucial saves to ensure that Italy secured a deserved point.
Alessandro Bastoni also made headlines with the equaliser, but the Italian media also appreciated Calafiori’s contribution from a defensive point of view.
Corriere dello Sport (page 3) handed him a 7/10 rating and said that he showed ‘great dedication’ to keep an eye on Michael Olise and Pierre Kalulu without much support.
They wrote: “He had to keep an eye on both Olise and Kalulu, often without much support; a night of great dedication.”
Gazzetta dello Sport (page 4) and Tuttosport also hailed Calafiori for his defensive output.
“It was all written in the script: his outing was destined to be a trial by suffering, and so it proved. Olise hides the ball; “Cala” doesn’t play hide-and-seek.” – Gazzetta dello Sport.
“On his side, France often and willingly accelerates. He showed application in the defensive phase.” – Tuttosport.
Calafiori has been a key player for club and country when fully fit. He has had a bright start to the campaign, starting almost every game for the Gunners at left-back.
The £42 million signing has continued to impress for his national side. Calafiori fared well against Belgium last month before coming on as a substitute against Turkey on the road.
He was reinstated into the XI against Les Bleus and put in a good defensive shift. He had a passing accuracy of 92 percent, winning four duels alongside four recoveries, four clearances and two tackles.
Calafiori was dribbled past just once by Olise, which is quite impressive. It was another good outing for him, but he is likely to drop to the bench for the next Nations League game against Turkey at home.
Italy manager Roberto Mancini has managed the 24-year-old carefully, given his injury record. Matteo Ruggeri should start at left-back on Monday. Arsenal will hope Calafiori does not feature at all.
Stats from Sofascore.com
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