Arsenal fans have urged Mikel Arteta to avoid the temptation to rest one of the Gunners’ stars for next week’s game against Liverpool following an outstanding performance against Leeds United. Jurrien Timber and Viktoe Gyokeres each scored twice in the Premier League title contenders’ 5-0 triumph, with Bukayo Saka adding a goal in between.
Arteta will be concerned about Saka and skipper Martin Odegaard’s fitness, as both appeared to have hamstring and shoulder ailments. While those two could miss the early championship showdown at Anfield, fans have made it clear that one player in particular must keep his position.
Fans sing praise for one Arsenal player.
While there were other standout Arsenal performances on the night, Riccardo Calafiori was the unsung hero who garnered much of plaudits on social media. The Italian had an injury-plagued rookie season last year, but he got off to a great start in his second season, scoring the only goal in a triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
He maintained his position on the left side of a back four against Leeds and delivered an even more comprehensive performance. He added two more goals to his season record, assisting on Gyokeres’ first and Timbers’ second, albeit the finishers did the majority of the work on both occasions. However, that was just the cherry on top of a solid performance.
Defensively, he was quiet due to Arsenal’s domination, but maintained the pace. Daniel James remained quiet despite making one block during a rare Leeds goal attempt. Going forward, he posed a greater threat than normal. He was 100% accurate with his attempted dribbles and continued to menace in front of goal, attempting three times in total.
As a result of his performance, fans took to social media to demand that he play against Liverpool and Mohamed Salah, with one saying: “I don’t know how to explain it, but there is something elite about Calafiori.” He’s the player you want on the field for your team’s most important game.”
A second responded, “What am I willing to give up for Ricardo Calafiori’s health and fitness?” I’m willing to do anything, I promise,” while a third added, “Calafiori is rock and roll. What a player. He is the creative spark from LB. “He makes everyone better.
A fourth stated that the Gunners had to “do everything to keep Calafiori fit,” while a sixth summarized: “Calafiori is unreal man, if we want the best from our striker, we gotta help him!”
The Italian was able to keep Myles Lewis-Skelly out of the lineup at the start of the season, and after playing 64 minutes against Daniel Farke’s side, fans look to be hoping that he is safeguarded ahead of the trip to Merseyside.
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