Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny the tip of the defensive iceberg

Arsenal dominated possession and had significantly more chances than Atletico, but in the end Koscielny’s mistake has given Atletico the advantage.

After a hard fought match against Atletico Madrid, the result Arsenal were having nightmares about came to an unwanted reality. Diego Simeone’s men have shown once again how irrelevant the statistic of possession truly is.

The Gunners had a resounding 76% possession of the ball and peppered Slovenian international Jan Oblak. There are many things to be learned from this game before the away trip to Madrid’s impressive and intimidating stadium. An abundance of things this side needs to improve on.

Laurent Koscielny

The 32-year-old veteran centre back showed why he is no longer the man to lead this back line. Laurent Koscielny failed to clear a simple 70 yard ball over the top putting his fellow countryman Antione Griezmann in on goal without a drop of sweat on his forehead.

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Giving world class finishers such as Griezmann the chance to score from such a simple mistake exemplifies why the Frenchman is no longer capable of keeping up with the difficult opposition in which the Gunners will continually square off against.

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David Ospina

Despite the Colombian’s valiant efforts and impressive shot stopping ability, there is no doubt in any fan’s mind that he is simply not good enough.

David Ospina‘s decision-making skills have cost Arsenal a numerous amount of goals. Despite his relatively decent performance in terms of shot stopping there is no question that Arsenal seem significantly more comfortable with Petr Cech in goal.

Wenger’s last hoorah is in doubt

Wenger’s last chance at silverware was put in jeopardy. Simeone’s men managed to scrape a draw despite being a man down for nearly 80 minutes. Arsenal’s away record this entire season has been nothing short of utterly shambolic. Madrid are the favorites to advance after the reds of London once again failed to grab a golden opportunity. Wenger will be highly disappointed but is well aware of how much an away goal would lift the fans.

These players owe it to Wenger to give him a good send off. The man who has been at the helm for 22 years deserves it. Players like Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin who played exceptionally well need to do the same next week.

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The French, rubber-band-fidgeting Arsenal legend will undoubtedly send out his strongest team next week. The Gunners were clearly the better team on the night but results are more important than performance. Wenger has done everything he can for this club, now it is time for the players as well as the fans to fight just as he has.