At a time when the wolves are baying for the blood of Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker it is perhaps worth remembering Arsenal’s other centre-back.
Laurent Koscielny has undeniably been one of the club’s stand-out performers this season and you dread to think what state the defence would be in had he sustained a long-term injury.
Even against Barcelona, the best team on the planet, the Frenchman held his own against Lionel Messi until two late sucker-punches dented an otherwise exemplary first-half.
Such a level of performance has now become the norm for Koscielny and it is perhaps why he is often not given the praise he deserves.
By #ABW Panelist and Radio Show host, Kris Carpenter (@AFCfreddie8)
The date, February 28th 2016, the fixture, Manchester United away from home – notoriously a tough game for The Arsenal. Thousands of die hard Gooners making the trip to cheer the team on in the hope of building on the dramatic late winner vs Leicester City just a short time ago. What happened over the course of the 95+ minutes of football has left many loyal fans once again disillusioned, crest fallen and in truth, broken.
As the host of the ‘ABW Radio’ Show I get an instant reaction from many fans of differing backgrounds, from those who attend games on a regular basis to those who watch from home and of course from fans overseas, some of whom skip work or get up at a ridiculous hours to take in the matches – I feel for them especially after this game.