A report in the Italian media has suggested Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori should be used as a midfielder by Gennaro Gattuso with the national team.
Arsenal’s so-called “left-back” Riccardo Calafiori is somewhat difficult to pin down positionally, with the player often cropping up all over the pitch.
Often that’s one of the Italian international’s key strengths, giving his game an unpredictability and helping Arsenal to have an extra body in attack when they need it.
But it can occasionally be a drawback, such as against Aston Villa on Saturday, when centre-back Piero Hincapie was often left to defend Calafiori’s flank alone. Calafiori also picked up a yellow card that will see him suspended for next weekend’s visit from Wolves.
Even so, Calafiori’s positional flexibility has those back in his home country speculating over whether he should be used in a more advanced role.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that in light of Italy’s defensive struggles, manager Gennaro Gattuso should consider using Calafiori as a midfielder in a 3-5-2.
The outlet makes it explicitly clear (with a graphic) that the intention is not to use Calafiori on the left. Instead, he would play in the middle of the five as a central midfielder.
They point out that though Calafiori is a left-back at Arsenal, in reality he often moves into midfield anyway, so it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable a transition.
The hope is that he would help Italy maintain their attacking prowess whilst also providing more defensive security than a natural midfielder might.
There are obviously comparisons to be drawn with Oleksandr Zinchenko, who operated as an inverted left-back for Arsenal, but as a midfielder for Ukraine throughout his Gunners spell.
It’s not impossible the same thing could work for Calafiori, but he’s less experienced starting matches as a midfielder. Much as he might roam forwards, he’s never been asked to play in the middle from the start of a match. Not even once in his career.
For the time being, there’s little suggestion Gattuso actually intends to make the positional switch for Calafiori. But it’s evidently something the Italian media think is on the cards.