"They are two players that have the football brain" – Mikel Arteta names 2 players who make Arsenal unpredictable

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has named Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori as two Gunners players who add unpredictability to his squad.

Timber, who joined the Gunners from Ajax in a potential £38 million switch in 2023, made just three appearances across competitions last season. After returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the Dutch defender has started six of his seven appearances this term.

Calafiori, on the other hand, joined the north London team from Bologna in a move worth up to £42 million earlier this summer. The Italian has scored once in six total matches for his new club so far this season.

Ahead of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League contest against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this Tuesday (October 1), Arteta showered praise on the versatile defensive duo. He said (h/t football.london):

"We missed Jurrien 11 months and Riccy wasn't here. They are two players that have the football brain, adaptability and ability to occupy different spaces. That makes us unpredictable."

Apart from Timber and Calafiori, Arsenal have other good defenders in their squad. While William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are the club's first-choice centre-back choices, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jakub Kiwior are all versatile enough to play in two positions.

Arsenal star opens up on mental struggles

Speaking to football.london, Gunners star Declan Rice shared his two cents on the mental toil the players have to face while pushing for the Premier League title. The Englishman said (h/t GOAL):

"Mentally, it is tough. The anxiety is through the roof! You know the pressure of playing for Arsenal, you have to win every game. And if you want to win Premier Leagues and cups, compete at the top, you need to be at your best and you need to win – otherwise the pressure mounts."

Rice, who left West Ham United in a potential £105 million deal, added:

"So when that second goal went in for them, one thought is – we can't lose this game, we have to keep going. In the end, it is kind of like a sigh of relief, because we won the game, we deserved to win the game."

Rice, who joined his team last summer, has started all seven of his appearances in all competitions this campaign. The 25-year-old has found the back of the net once and laid out as many assist for the Gunners.

Arsenal are currently third in the 2024-25 Premier League table with 14 points from six games, just one point behind league leaders Liverpool.