Arsenal: Time to get Laurent Koscielny back into the ring

Arsenal have been noticeably easing Laurent Koscielny back into the fold, but it’s at the point now where he just needs to be back once and for all.

Arsenal‘s next two fixtures are playing off of each other in such a way that Unai Emery is really going to have his managerial chops tested. On the one hand, you can’t just go half-arsed into Brighton, because you will lose. This is the Premier League, there are no easy matches.

But then you have the other hand, where, with Liverpool looming, you really want to have your best possible players available and in their best possible state when it comes to a travel to Anfield and the last unbeaten bid of the season on the line.

The balancing act extends primarily to the defense, which in turn disrupts the midfield. All of which can be properly solved if we can just count on Laurent Koscielny to be back in the thick of it again. And I mean like, actually in the thick of it, preferably. Improving, and all that stuff.

The alternatives aren’t all that great. With Mustafi unlikely to feature, it’s either Koscielny gets back into the ring, or he is in turn replaced by Granit Xhaka, who depletes the midfield which should already be depleted of Lucas Torreira.

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And that’s just for Brighton. Against Liverpool, there’s no guarantee that it’s bound to get any better. Mustafi is just now returning to training, so his fitness is still going to be a question and that’s even asking a lot of Koscielny, to have him start twice in a week.

Which is why I’m not sure why Koscielny wasn’t out there against Burnley, then he could have gotten today off, then back at it for Liverpool, fitter and more confident. But I won’t question everything Emery does…. just some of it.

At the end of the day, this is all about keeping as many of your best players in their best positions, and it really all does hinge on Koscielny. The back three doesn’t even look at all possible, unless we pull Xhaka out of position, so surely the least we can do is keep the midfield as stocked as they can be and patchwork the defense.

It’s tricky, but Koscielny can help ease the struggle by just being a competent defender. That’s not asking too much, is it?