After everything Riccardo Calafiori has been through over the past couple of weeks, Tuesday night was exactly what he needed. The Italy defender was still buzzing from Kai Havertz’s late winning goal against Sporting in the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final when he reflected on a fortnight during which his club suffered successive defeats either side of the Azzurri again failing to qualify for the World Cup.
“It’s been tough, but that is the beauty of football: it is 100% better now,” Calafiori said, before reflecting first on Saturday’s shock FA Cup loss at Southampton, then on the wider pain of the period. “This chance to play three days later rather than just stay home and think about it [was welcome]. Of course I’m really disappointed, but I’ve got a lot to play for with Arsenal.”
Asked whether Italy missing out on the World Cup for the third time in a row had given him more desire to succeed at club level, he said: “Maybe in a way, yes. But I’m still really disappointed and sad.”
As Sporting pushed hard towards the end at a lively Estádio José Alvalade, the prospect of Calafiori being on the losing side again was looming large. Had it not been for the heroics of David Raya, who produced three world-class saves before Havertz delivered the coup de grâce in injury time, Arsenal could have succumbed to a third loss in a row, in three competitions in 17 days.
The talk of doom and gloom narrative that has been steadily building since the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City would have surely reached deafening levels. Mikel Arteta demanded his players “rediscover their identity”, and Calafiori was delighted with the way Arsenal responded before they host Bournemouth on Saturday in their first Premier League fixture since they beat Everton on 14 March. That is an opportunity to stretch their lead at the top to 12 points before City travel to Chelsea on Sunday.
“That was a clear demonstration of our identity, which maybe we lost a little bit in the last couple of games,” Calafiori said. “But we came back as I like. I recognise my team again. It’s a nice game to come back and now we can enjoy it, but we are already thinking about Saturday. Every game is really important now.”
Raya has kept seven clean sheets in Arsenal’s 11 Champions League games and saved 27 of the 30 shots he has faced – by far the best record in the competition. Havertz described the Spain goalkeeper as the best in the world after the win against Sporting and Calafiori believes Raya’s return in place of Kepa Arrizabalaga, after being rested against City and Southampton, engendered confidence in the defence.
“We have a good relationship with him and I think he’s going to help us through until the end of the season,” he said. “We have played a lot of games [together] and I feel really secure with him. With his feet and in the goal, his reflexes are unbelievable.”
The fallout from Italy’s World Cup campaign continues after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down as manager last week. But Calafiori insisted the negativity directed at Arsenal since their quadruple hopes ended had not affected him. “It’s obvious that it’s a massive club with so much history that they love to speak about us,” he said. “But it doesn’t change anything for me.”
