Bologna’s recent surge to success, guiding them to Champions League qualifications and playing eye-pleasing football under Thiago Motta’s tactical eyes, has surprised many. One integral member of this exquisite set of talents is the Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Calafiori redefines the art of defending with his simple yet subtle style of approach on the pitch. His versatility, impressive agility, and incomparable “aura” he brings to the table are a dream for many upcoming CB’s. At only 22, he’s performing at the highest level for Italy in the Euro 24′.
Often tucking in as the LCB under Motta at Bologna last season, he featured comfortably at LB too. Whether he is defensively showcasing his skills or partaking as an offensive threat by making overlapping or underlapping runs, Calafiori is a real threat. Came primarily into the limelight during the Euros for Italy under Spalletti earlier this month. Firstly, let’s look at his player profile…
Riccardo Calafiori Player Profile
Age: 22
Club: Bologna
Position: CB/LB
Foot: Left
Nationality: Italian
Value: €30M
Height: 6’2ft
Avg. SofaScore rating: 7.10
Strengths: Anticipation, Tackling, Crossing, Spatial Awareness, Ball Carrying
Weaknesses: Temperament
Strengths:
Bologna’s setup under Motta focuses on control and dominance with the ball. In the build-up phase, Riccardo Calafiori portrays calmness and composure in picking the right pass. Apart from that, he utilizes his impressive ball-carrying ability to take on multiple players from the backline.
His job to facilitate play from the back by being the first-phase progressor needs him to showcase his elite passing accuracy and risk-taking factor involved in playing from the back. Short passes, medium passes, or even changing the point of attack with longer passes—he doesn’t shy away.
Ball-carrying ability as a modern-day defender is an important aspect to play out from the back. Defense being the best source of attack for a possession-based side, Calafiori uses his technical abilities and ball manipulation in tight spaces to progress higher up the pitch by taking on players from his own half.
Calafiori’s long legs help in maintaining an effective high defensive line, something that various big clubs aim to achieve with the right set-up players. Combining his athletic pace and positional understanding, he demonstrates his IQ. (An example of his clinical ball-carrying during this Euro.)
Calafiori’s on-the-ball abilities just sharpen with more game time. His strong core body strength, center of gravity, and agile hips help him make quick turning movements when in pressurized situations. A smooth turning radius that helps him change directions—all this while being 6’2
Passing: Given the freedom higher up the pitch, he can show his vision and creativity. Once he gets higher up the pitch, he can switch play to the opposite sides, break channels by exposing the lines, or even carry the ball for a bit longer, which usually does the job for him and racks up goals and assists.
For instance, he finished the season with 2 goals and 5 assists for Bologna in the league, ranking highly for key passes in the final third and crosses in the penalty area. The volume of passes and risk-taking in creating chances speak of his confidence in pulling moves like this with ease.
Let’s try talking statistics into his talent for a bit:
Calafiori’s defensive abilities aren’t just restricted to the ground but also his aerial dominance. Having won 71.4% of his aerial duels in Serie A, he’s placed 7th amongst the other Top 5 leagues in Europe.
Riccardo Calafiori averaged 7.47 recoveries per 90 in Serie A last season, making him the best CB to do so. His perfect positioning and spatial awareness enable him to intercept the ball, block passing options, and recycle the ball for his team.
With 1.92 interceptions per 90, Calafiori ranks in the top 4% of CBs in Europe’s top 5 divisions. These stats just speak to how complete he is at winning the ball back from opponents, using his physicality and intelligent movements to do so.
Defensively mature, he can naturally sniff danger, anticipate one-on-one situations, aerial duels, and win the ball from set pieces. He has grown reliable as the last man of a high line, as mentioned, which makes him a front-footed CB.
On a long-term basis, Calafiori has the right technical qualities for advancing or inverting from CB and pushing into the midfield, like Stones or Akanji at City. From such a position, he can demonstrate progressive passes, make half turns, and move higher up the pitch.
Talking about the City defenders, Calafiori’s style of play is identical to that of Croatian Joško Gvardiol. What makes them similar are their elite technicians of the game in possession, their aggressive nature, and their use of their physical traits at their sharpest.
Being an Italian and not complimenting his mentality on the pitch? A literal spaghetti mafia of all sorts uses his potential to its most extreme sense, willing to do anything and everything, acts as a leader of the pack, and even puts himself on the line to become a menace to face.
Areas to improve on:
Nothing major in terms of improvements, but he would need to work with his temperament in order to not be caught off guard in situations leading a high line. Aggressiveness could get concerning at times, but it’s something he’ll be working on himself.
Riccardo Calafiori – Fit at Arsenal:
With Arsenal in need of a LB this window, it’s no surprise that Calafiori could play there for Arsenal. Gives Arsenal that left-footed prowess that they are looking for and showcases his on-the-ball qualities in breaking the lines and carrying the ball.
He could inherit White’s RB role from the LHS and benefit the LW by getting more progressive into the game. He can partake in attacks with his overlapping and underlapping runs into the channels and help the side break channels and create spaces.
Another aspect that this signing in particular gives us is the ability to play four CB’s in a backline, something we’ve seen Arteta do last season. What I mean here is the technical backline of Timber-White-Saliba-Calafiori. It’s a potential all-timer in football with the profiles that can build this squad. They have efficiency in buildup and all have on-the-ball prowess that can see them tuck into midfield.
With Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, and Zinchenko all in the squad playing at LB, we at this point don’t know who is staying and who is not, but nevertheless, it could give Arsenal various options to assess in terms of game scenarios. He has the ability to be the long-term successor of Gabriel at LCB, in my opinion.
Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal – Conclusion:
Riccardo Calafiori has grown to become a super-atheistic freak modern-day defender that any manager would dream to have by their side. Not only his defensive qualities, but his offensive influence on the game can reap higher rewards if utilized in the right way.
From leading the majority of the stats for Bologna to becoming everyone’s favorite at the Euros, he’s been quick to instill his aura in football. An impressive campaign at the Euros from the Spaghetti Mafia troops will only make it even more interesting to see where Calafiori ends up going this summer.
His resemblance to the very greats Italy produced in its golden era—Maldini and Nesta—in terms of footballing abilities speaks of his aura. It is rare to find an elite technician as mature offensively and defensively. It’s safe to say that a big money move is coming sooner or later!
