Arsenal: Mid-Season player rankings

6. Laurent Koscielny

Defensively, Arsenal have not been at their sharpest. These are the teams that have conceded fewer goals than them this season: Manchester City, Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea, Burnley, Brighton, Huddersfield, Newcastle, Southampton, West Brom, Bournemouth and Swansea. That is not good.

But that is not the point of these rankings. These are individual players, and while, as a collective unit, Arsenal may not be all that stout defensively, Laurent Koscielny, on an individual basis, has been as good as ever. His deceptive athleticism and speed mean that he is perfectly tailored to the wide centre-half role, he reads the game as well as ever, and he has been performing at the same level while dealing with an Achilles’ issue that he just can’t rid.

There are few players that I love as much as Koscielny. He is committed to the club, he is hard working, he does not make a fuss. He is diligent, disciplined, industrious. And, perhaps most importantly, he improves year on year. When fit, there are few better defenders in the Premier League. Arsenal are lucky to have him.

(Andy: 3rd; Josh: 10th)