Calafiori could be missing piece to end Arsenal’s long wait for title

MANCHESTER, England : Arsenal broke several records when coming within a whisker of a first Premier League title in 20 years last season, indicating they need only minor changes to take them all the way this time.
The Gunners set club records for most Premier League wins in a season and most Premier League goals in a campaign, while only in their 2003-04 title- winning year did they earn more points, but Manchester City were still insurmountable.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, a former assistant to City boss Pep Guardiola, knows that to end his former employers’ dominance his side must still find new levels, despite finishing runners-up to the Manchester club in the last two seasons.
“I think the message is clear – we need more from everybody. More from everybody includes me,” Arteta said last month.
“I need to raise the standards, I need to bring something I haven’t brought yet. Individually and collectively. The more we do that, the better the chance there’s going to be to win the Premier League.”
Despite possessing the meanest defence in the top flight last term, one problem position was left-back, with Arsenal moving quickly to reinforce that area in the transfer market, bringing in Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
Comfortable in central defence or at full-back, Calafiori was one of the rare bright sparks for a disappointing Italy side at the European Championship in Germany, possessing the skill-set to complete a formidable Gunners backline.
Further forward, there have been calls for Arteta to bring in a new striker to provide Germany international Kai Havertz and fit-again Gabriel Jesus with some additional support.
However, Arteta has been buoyed by what he has seen from Jesus in pre-season, after an injury-hit campaign last term saw the Brazilian only start 17 league games.
“The first feeling when I saw him after talking to him at the end of the season is that he was something different,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s victory over Bayer Leverkusen in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
“I could sense it. His energy was different, the way he looks is different, the way he’s moving is different. He really wants it.”
The hope is Jesus’ former club City finally have a drop off and are unable to keep up the unrelenting levels they reached during their unprecedented four straight title-winning seasons.
Arsenal will be waiting, aware even minor slip-ups could be the difference between title glory and another near miss.