Riccardo Calafiori ya tafi zuwa Italiya tare da Arsenal a wannan mako a matsayin ɗan wasa da ya canza gaba ɗaya — wanda juyin juya halinsa daga ɗan baya ta tsakiya a Bologna zuwa ɗan bayan hagu mafi kyau a Premier League ya kasance abin mamaki.

Sa'ad da Arsenal ta sanya hannu tare da Calafiori shekaru biyu da suka wuce, yakan buga a matsayin ɗan baya ta tsakiya a Bologna, kuma akwai shakku na gaske a bangaren sa game da ko zai iya bunƙasa a matsayin ɗan bayan hagu a matakin mafi ɗaukaka. An tura waɗannan shakku a baya tun da daɗe.

"Shi ne mafi kyawun ɗan bayan hagu a cikin kwazon don haka," in ji Jamie Carragher, yana ba da ɗaya daga cikin yabonta mafi ƙarfi da ɗan Italiyar ya samu tun daga isarsa Ingila.

Farkon kakar wasa mai ƙarfi

Calafiori ya kawo nason sa zuwa kakar wasa ta sabuwa da ikon gaske. Ya zira kwallo a nasarar Arsenal ta Community Shield kan Manchester City kuma ya bayar da taimako a nasarori na Premier League kan Coventry da Aston Villa. Kan Chelsea, VAR ta same shi a wajen layi kafin ya ƙara wa adadin sa — amma tasirin sa a kan wasan bai yi ƙasa ba.

A cikin ginin burin da ya kawo nasara wa Arsenal — wanda Martin Odegaard ya kammala — guduwar Calafiori cikin layi kan dan wasan jijji na Chelsea Christos Tzolis ya ja Pedro Neto zuwa tsaro na biyar, yana sanya ƴan wasan Chelsea da yawa a bayan ƙwallon tare da tabbatar da rinjaye na Arsenal kan wasan.

"Ya tsara tsarin Chelsea," in ji Carragher yana nazari kan buri a Sky Sports. "Ko ina Calafiori yake, Neto yana can. Calafiori ya gangara gaba, Neto ya gangara don yin tsaro na biyar. Chelsea tana canzawa tsakanin tsaro na huɗu da tsaro na biyar. Duk ya ta'allaƙa ga matsayin Calafiori."

Ƙirƙirar tazara, canza wasanni

Daga nan guduwar Calafiori cikin yankin hukunci ta ja ɗan bayan tsakiya Maxence Lacroix daga matsayin sa, ta buɗe tazara mai nisan mita 14.4 tsakanin Lacroix da Wesley Fofana. Wannan hanyar ita ce abin da Arsenal ke bukata domin Kai Havertz ya yi wayo kuma ya ba Odegaard ƙwallon, wanda ya kammala da sauƙi.

Jerin abubuwan ya yi kama ƙwarai da gaske da buri na uku na Arsenal a Community Shield. Gudu ɗaya ta ciki daga Calafiori, wayo ɗaya daga Havertz, da kammala mai natsuwa ɗaya daga Odegaard — wannan lokaci yana amfani da tazara tsakanin Ruben Dias da Josko Gvardiol.

"Kuna ganin tazara tsakanin ɗan bayan tsakiya — hakan ya fito daga Calafiori," Carragher ya ƙara. "Wannan shi ne tasirin da yake yi a wasanni a matsayin ɗan bayan hagu."

Ko'ina a lokaci guda

Sunan "ɗan bayan hagu" bai isa ya bayyana abin da Calafiori ke yi wa Arsenal ba gaba ɗaya. A cikin motsi ɗaya na harin da ya yi kan Chelsea a rabin farko, ya yi tafiya daga bangaren hagu zuwa bangaren dama — ya ɗauki dakika takwas kawai don bayyana a wata rawa daban gaba ɗaya.

Tsohon ɗan wasan jijji na Arsenal Leandro Trossard wataƙila ya ba da mafi kyawun bayani na wasan yawo na abokin tawagar sa sa'ad da aka tambaye shi a watan Nuwamba.

"Yana bayyana ko'ina — a cikin sararin wofi, a matsayin ɗan gaba — wannan rashin tabbas na iya cutar da ƙungiyoyi. Na san abin da zai iya yi da inda zai bayyana a wace matsayi. Wasu lokuta ina ba shi ƙwallon ba tare da duba ba, kuma na san zai kasance can."

Calafiori ba shi kaɗai ba ne a wannan hanya. Ben White kuma yana aiki tare da irin wannan 'yancin dabara a cikin harin Arsenal — yana kan gaba a Premier League a gudu-kai a wannan kakar wasa, kuma na huɗu a gudu cikin layi. White kansa ya bayyana buƙatun rawa a ƙarƙashin manaja Mikel Arteta a lokacin kakar wasa ta 2023-24.

"Don buga ɗan baya ga sa, dole ka kasance ɗan tsakiya, ɗan baya ta tsakiya, ɗan wasan jijji, da lamba goma."

Ciwon kai na dabara ga abokan hamayya

Tasirin taro na wasan matsayin mai gudana a Arsenal yana haifar da ƙungiyar da ke da wahalar shirya wasa da ita sosai. "Suna tura ku zuwa iyakar ku," in ji Xabi Alonso bayan ƙungiyar sa ta Chelsea ta bar Emirates Stadium tare da asara ta 2-1.

Calafiori shi ne misalin wannan wahalar. Motsin sa ba tare da ƙwallon ba, ƙarfin sa na bayyana a wurare da ba a yi tsammani ba, da kuma gudummuwar sa kai tsaye a buri suna sa shi ɗaya daga cikin masu tsaron da ke haifar da rikici mafi yawa a ƙwallon ƙafa ta Turai — kuma babban dalilin da yasa ƙungiyoyi da yawa suke ja da baya zuwa tsaro mai ƙasa idan suna fuskanta Arsenal.