Last night’s match may not have mattered much to Arsenal fans, but there were many positives during the game. All eyes were on Saka but just as important (given our defensive crisis) was the return of our captain Laurent Koscielny. The Bos himself was happy with his return. “Yes, it was an important day for me,” he told Arsenal.com. “It was the end of my rehab, so I am very happy to play today with my team, for this club, and to enjoy it with them on the pitch.
“It was very emotional because you remember the first day when I was injured, the 3rd of May, and now we are on the [13th] of December, and you have some flashbacks in your head about different periods you had during your rehab.
“I met a lot of people who helped me a lot, and so I’m very proud to know them now. There were some difficult moments, during this period, but now I think I’m more calm and focused on what I want, and physically I’m OK.”
He looked fine and fit, although the opposition wasn’t up to much, but Emery is being wary of confirming he will play again on Sunday. “When a player comes back like Koscielny, after a big injury… a very big injury, it can give the player different moments. I think for Koscielny it’s good that he’s recovered and I also think he recovered in a good time from his big injury.
“When he comes back like today with us, every supporter of Arsenal is happy, and also the player. Then this process with him is to take confidence again, take rhythm for playing matches like today. We are going to continue this process maybe on Sunday. I want to wait tomorrow and Saturday for how he will feel after this match, for if he will play or not on Sunday.”
I agree that he shouldn’t be risked if he is not 100% fit, but for Sunday Emery has very few alternatives. Even if he only plays half the game it will be a big help rather than throw on one of our youngsters for the full 90 minutes.
How did you think Koscielny played last night?
Sam P