Laurent Koscielny was brought to Arsenal in 2010, his first few season were somewhat calamitous as he tried to adjust to moving to the Premier League. His early years were littered with defensive errors and own goals with his lowest moment coming in the League Cup final in 2011. Arsenal were looking to end their trophy drought but a mix up with Szczesny lead to Obafemi Martins putting the ball into an empty net and hopes were dashed. However, in recent years, Koscielny is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the league and a crucial component in the Arsenal defence. But it might just be time for the Gunners to move on from the Frenchman due to performance and injury related issues.
Koscielny has featured in 16 Premier League games this season and in the games he has featured in, the team has conceded 18 goals. The Frenchman is meant to be the lynchpin of the Arsenal defence but on many occasions this season, he has found himself lost during the game with other defenders bailing him out. In the most recent game against Liverpool, the ‘fab four’ ran him ragged and if it wasn’t for the resurgence of the attacking unit, serious questions would have been asked of him.
In the 16 games in which he has featured in, he has only made 30 tackles with a tackle success rate of only 43%. Compare that number to Manchester City duo Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany, they have registered an 80% and 71% tackle success rate respectively. Even looking into the actual Arsenal squad, Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal have a success rate of 76% and 70% also so we can see that Koscielny is far behind the level expected. These missed tackles often lead to a barrage on the defence and leaves the middle of the pitch exposed.
The main problem that Arsenal needs to make serious considerations about their centre back situation is the age and attrition of Koscielny. At the age of 32, centre backs are expected to come into their prime due to the wealth of experience they have accumulated over the years. However, in the case of Koscielny, he has already admitted that he has to take medication daily to keep the inflammation of his Achilles down so he can continue to play. The 32-year-old’s game is predicated on fast twitch movements, always trying to intercept the pass and set the attack off from the back. The likelihood of Koscielny continuing this playing style as he gets older is slim, and with his inability to play two games a week already, plans need to be made to ensure the defence doesn’t crumble in his absence.
To Arsenal’s credit, they have good depth in that position and importantly, youth in that position. Mustafi who looks to be the key player for the defence is only 25 years of age, Calum Chambers impressed on his season-long loan at Middlesbrough and is highly thought of by Wenger is only 22 years of age. Finally, Rob Holding who has slowly been integrated into the first team and was hugely impressive in Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Chelsea is also only 22 years old so it appears the Gunners have positioned themselves well.
In conclusion, Koscielny right now might still be Arsenal’s best defender but his gradual drop in performance accompanied with his persistent injury problems make him a long-term problem. Arsenal have a history of holding onto players and showing faith in situations where change is clearly needed. Unless there is a significant upturn in the performance of the Frenchman, his position in the team could be lost sooner than later.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
