Riccardo Calafiori says he is starting to feel like one of the older heads in a young Italy squad, and he wants to lead by example when the Azzurri face France at San Siro tonight.
Italy host France in the Nations League at 7.45pm UK time on Thursday (1.15am IST on Friday), and it is a straight fight for top spot in the group. France lead on 10 points, Italy have seven and Belgium six, with only the top two going through to the quarter-finals.
The Arsenal defender is only 24, but Roberto Mancini’s squad has got younger around him, and he spoke like a man who has noticed.
What did Calafiori say about his Italy role?
Speaking at his press conference on Wednesday, Calafiori was honest about how things have changed. “There are a lot of young players in this squad, so I am starting to feel a little older than I was,” he said.
“I have relatively little experience with the Nazionale, but in every match I try to inspire my team and be a leader, more through my actions on the field than any words I might use.”
That will sound familiar to anyone who has watched him at Arsenal. He has never been a quiet presence on the pitch, and the step up in responsibility with his country is a sign of how far he has come.
From centre-back to left-back for Italy
Calafiori was first used as a centre-back for Italy, the role he played at Bologna. Only recently has he moved to left-back for the national team, the position where he won the Premier League with the Gunners.
He is expected to start there again tonight, which would mean Inter’s Federico Dimarco dropping to the bench. The other option for Mancini is to move Calafiori inside next to Alessandro Bastoni, bring in Dimarco and leave out Giorgio Scalvini.
Either way, the Arsenal man looks set to start, which is a vote of confidence from Mancini after a rocky start to his second spell in charge.
Will Calafiori mark Michael Olise again?
He did the job in the 1-1 draw in Paris on 2 October, the only time Zinedine Zidane’s France have dropped points in the group, and he would happily do it again. “I hope that I will have to do it tomorrow too. It’s always fascinating to face players of this level,” Calafiori said.
A depleted France, but no easy night
France are badly hit. Kylian Mbappe missed training on Wednesday with a hamstring problem and is not expected to play, and Les Bleus are already without Marcus Thuram, Pierre Kalulu, Aurelien Tchouameni, Manu Kone, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, Ousmane Dembele, Maghnes Akliouche, Esteban Lepaul and Arsenal’s own William Saliba, who was left out so the club can manage his comeback.
Calafiori was not getting carried away. “I think this is going to be a very complicated match. France have a lot of options available still, so it doesn’t change that much, and we must stay concentrated on ourselves,” he said.
“There isn’t much time to prepare tactically and do things that are too different to at club level, so it’s more about determination and heart.”
He also gave credit to Italy boss Mancini, whose return began with a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium before wins over Turkiye and the draw in France. “I always said it was too early to see big changes and the work the coach was doing, but it certainly helps to get positive results,” Calafiori said. “Tomorrow we are on home turf, the stadium is going to be packed, these are all positive elements that allow us to build more self-belief.”
What it means for Arsenal
Italy finish the group in Brussels against Belgium on Sunday, so Calafiori has two big games before he returns to London Colney. He is one of eight Gunners in action on Thursday, as we set out in our guide to where Arsenal’s 19 internationals play this month, and Newcastle away on Saturday 21 November is waiting at the end of it.
The bigger picture is that his stock keeps rising. Real Madrid have already been linked, and we covered why Jose Mourinho sees him as his dream left-back. Performances like the one in Paris, against one of the best wingers in the world, are exactly why.
Calafiori is ready to lead
There is something nice about hearing a 24-year-old say he feels old. It tells you how quickly Italy are changing, and how much Calafiori has grown since he arrived at Arsenal. If he keeps Olise quiet again tonight, Italy will be one step closer to the quarter-finals, and Arteta will have one more reason to keep him well away from Madrid.
