Laurent Koscielny joined Arsenal with a very large question mark over him. Not many had heard of the young French centre-back at the time. Luckily for Arsenal fans, Arsene Wenger and his network of scouts knew exactly what the then 24-year-old Koscielny had to offer.
Over five years on and the Frenchman has grown into one of the best centre-backs in European football. He is a calming influence at the back and one of the first names Gunners fans look for when the team sheet is announced.
Sitting down with Arsenal Magazine, the defender was asked if this was Arsenal’s year to bring the title back to the Emirates.
It could be. If we can reproduce regularly the first 20 minutes from the Manchester United game, yes we can have the ambition of being champions. But if we play like against Olympiacos, we won’t even finish in the top four. We have a good squad, a lot of quality. We need to be consistent, though, to win the league. It’s a marathon. Every weekend, we have tough games. We need to have the same desire and ambition in each of them, even if we know we can’t be at our best all the time. But we need to be solid defensively and efficient offensively to win 1-0 when we’re not at our best.
Title winning teams throughout history have had leaders in their ranks. A vital ingredient most would agree if a team wants to challenge for league honours. Laurent believes he leads by example and feels too much talking can be a hindrance rather than a help.
I think I lead by example on the pitch. The boys also know that if I’m not happy, I will go out at training and put big tackles in! They know that I am reserved but that I have a temper! Now and again, I speak out. I recall one big talk since 2010. It was two years ago before the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan. I was out injured so I couldn’t play. I told the squad what I was thinking. I wanted to mobilise everybody. I had a message to get through. It came from my heart and it went down well… I think! Even now, we joke about it sometimes. It was in English as well.
There is no point to talk too much, anyway. It has to be at the right time, for the right thing and the right way too. Sometimes, also, you don’t need to talk. Just a look or a gesture is enough. I’m more like that.
Some players fail to settle in another country after a transfer. It can be especially hard on younger players but Koscielny had no qualms. Asked if he now feels a bit English, he admits being on the football pitch changes things.
I do a bit, especially with two little English people at home as my two children were born here. One of the physios keeps teasing me saying: ‘You’re not French, you’re English – you tackle and kick people.’ It makes me laugh. I am still very French but on the pitch I do feel a bit English.
The Premier League can be a very physical league and because of that, many players find it tough to adapt at first. There are many duels on the pitch but the most important is that of the centre back and striker. Most of them are professional rivalries on the pitch, a battle to see who comes out on top after 90 minutes. Asked if he feels respected by his opponents, Koscielny said he doesn’t think too often about it.
I don’t pay too much attention to it. I would think so. I’m so focused on my game and the battle with the striker in front of me. I only think about winning, beating him in the challenges, getting the ball. But for example, when I used to play against Luis Suarez, he would kick me, I would kick him but it always ended with respect and a handshake.
Many players come to the Premier League to test themselves against the best players in the world. Koscielny has faced some of the game’s best strikers of recent times and when asked if Luis Suarez was the best opponent he had faced, he admitted he was up their with some Premier League greats.
Yes, he was one of the best, like Sergio Aguero or Didier Drogba. The good thing about the Premier League is that you have so many different strikers. Every weekend, you have to excel in a different department to play against them. After every match, I have a look at my performance, the stats and see what I have done well.
