Arsenal: Losing Laurent Koscielny not the end of the world, but it’s close

Arsenal will be without Laurent Koscieln against Southampton, but it’s not the end of the world… although it’s not too far away.

Last year, the Arsenal defense hit a brand new low, giving up in excess of 50 goals, which was a tragedy of epic proportions. It wasn’t until Calum Chambers and Konstantinos Mavropanos teamed up in the last handful of matches that we saw any semblance of hope.

Going into this season, the only thing that had changed is that neither Chambers nor Mavropanos would be available, nor would Laurent Koscielny, and the only addition was Sokratis, a defender who not a lot of people had much faith in.

It started as you’d expect it to – poorly. Sokratis wasn’t making an immediate impact and Shkodran Mustafi still wasn’t consistent enough. When Rob Holding went down, we were desperate. It coincided with the return of Laurent Koscielny who, while rusty at the start, came around in a big way around the turn of 2019.

Just like that, with the reintroduction of our captain, the defense was suddenly something that inspired some confidence. It felt fake, that we were actually capable of defending again.

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Now that Koscielny is out again, Sokratis will have to step in and take charge. It isn’t the end of the world, not having the Frenchman, but it’s not that far off either. With Koscielny and Sokratis at the back, this defense was showing serious gumption, the likes of which we never quite found with Mustafi paired with either of the two (or both).

Unai Emery has not ruled out the possibility of Koscielny still featuring against Southampton, though it’s unlikely, as the precaution around the health of his Achilles is a serious matter that shouldn’t be tampered with, especially when you think about how much he will be necessary for the final push of the season. Miss him for one match – you’re fine. Miss him for longer – you start teetering on the “end of the world” spectrum.

It’s all in the partnership. Mustafi just isn’t fitting into any partnership, and without Holding, the options become severely limited. If the partnership isn’t Koscielny and Sokratis, the confidence I have in this unit is sliced in half, if not more.

But the key member of that relationship is Koscielny. Sokratis was here long before Koscielny got healthy, and despite a few glimpses of promise alongside Mustafi, it was the return of Koscielny that unlocked the confidence. So let’s please keep him healthy.