Arsenal: Sweating Laurent Koscielny an un-favorite past time

Arsenal may or may not have Laurent Koscielny to face Everton and, needless to say, I think that this is a past time that none of us exactly miss.

It feels like this Arsenal defense has been flimsy for well over a decade. They’ve always had a rotating cast of characters and, even when they did have consistent, reliable talent, they could never count on consistent, reliable health.

The best situation I can think of in recent memory is when we had the trio of Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny, but that was short-lived enough to make it a blip on the radar of the Djourou’s and Squillaci’s.

It’s only gotten worse recently, with last year being their worst defensive season in ages, and this season looked set to follow suit. That is, until Laurent Koscielny came back and whipped the defense into shape, in tandem with Sokratis.

But now, as we head into this crucial part of the season where we hold our 3rd place fate in our own hands, Laurent Koscielny remains a question mark.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

He missed out on the match against Newcastle – a match that he ended up not being needed in, but if ever there was a time to get Koscielny back, it would be on a road trip, to anywhere. This team just isn’t good on the road, particularly defensively, as they have yet to keep a road clean sheet, thanks almost entirely to shady defending.

Koscielny is our best hope of changing those odds and keeping the defense as strong as they can be. But after just a minor injury, he’s now still a question mark for the Everton match, which then gives way to a crucial Europa League tie against Napoli.

This isn’t something that fans would be unfamiliar with. Going back to the 2011/12 season, Koscielny has never had a season where he didn’t miss any games, and while minor knocks are always a part of the season, Koscielny’s are rarely minor. In the eight seasons in question, Koscielny has missed a minimum of six matches in all but two seasons.

And he’s always been a key figure to the defense, and to the team in general, something that has blighted the backline for years.

So here we are again, sweating the fitness of the main man and hoping that he can be fit enough to spare us from the whims of Shkodran Mustafi, centerback extraordinaire.