Calafiori switches attention from Arsenal's Premier League title chase to Italy's World Cup playoff

ROME (AP) — Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori says Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso called him more often than his mother did over the last four months.

Which shows just how much attention Gattuso paid to his players between the Azzurri’s last game in November and Thursday’s World Cup playoff with Northern Ireland.

With the four-time champion attempting to avoid missing out on a third straight World Cup, Gattuso traveled up and down Italy and made several trips abroad to share dinners with his players and keep up team spirit.

“Over the last few months I heard from him more than my mother,” Calafiori said Tuesday at Italy’s Coverciano training complex in Florence.

“When I was out or not playing as much, he called me constantly,” Calafiori said of the month from late December to late January when he was out with a muscle injury. “And the dinner with him was great. It gave us the chance to be together. It was like a dinner among friends."

Besides Gattuso, Italy delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon and assistant coach Leonardo Bonucci — all former standout players for Italy — were also at the meal in London.

“There were a lot of soccer anecdotes shared, because the three of them have plenty of those,” Calafiori said.

Able to switch seamlessly between left and center back, the 23-year-old Calafiori helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League before transferring to Arsenal in 2024.

Now he’s switching his attention to limiting Northern Ireland’s dead ball opportunities, after recovering from a slight knock with Arsenal on Sunday.

“We need to be aware, because they’re dangerous. Free kicks can create the difference. The margins between squads are reduced in modern football,” Calafiori said. “We also need to pay attention to loose balls.”

Having become a regular with Italy, Calafiori is still regaining his fitness from his month off after beginning the season as a consistent member of Arsenal’s starting 11.

He's not a guaranteed starter at Arsenal these days, though, with Piero Hincapie doing well in Calafiori’s absence and keeping his place now that the Italian is back.

While Arsenal was beaten by Manchester City in the English League Cup final on Sunday, Calafiori is still in line to win the Premier League with Arsenal leading City by nine points.

But Calafiori has other goals, too.

“Going to the World Cup is the dream I had as a kid, so I can’t wait to play this game,” he said.

Besides beating Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo on Thursday, Italy would also then need to defeat either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away next week to qualify for the upcoming tournament in North America.

The Azzurri were eliminated in the playoffs for the last two World Cups by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively.

“We need to prepare like it’s a normal game,” Calafiori said. “We know how delicate it is.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori, left, and Piero Hincapie celebrate after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton in London, England, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton in London, England, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Everton's Tim Iroegbunam, left, and Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori jump for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Everton in London, England, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)