Arsenal: This was always the Laurent Koscielny problem

Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel with Arsenal on their U.S. pre-season tour. This unprofessional behaviour and poor showing of leadership was always his problem.

Laurent Koscielny is one of the best defenders of the last decade in the Premier League. Individually, he has been superb. Terrific athleticism, great speed and understanding of the game, the Frenchman often looked like a one-man defence in a hapless Arsenal backline.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The Big Season Review

Often cast with the same brush as many of his hapless teammates, and a collective unit that has always lacked organisation and protection from the midfield, Koscielny is largely underrated among national media and fans. But among the Arsenal faithful, it has long been known that he is an excellent defender.

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

But for all of his individual skills, there has always been a nagging issue with Koscielny, which has grown more prominent in the post-Per Mertesacker era and in the absence of Sokratis midway through last season: communication, organisation, and leadership. As an individual, Koscielny is a super defender. There are few tools that you would want in a central defender that he does not have. But he is not a natural leader and organiser, and it has been a consistent shortcoming.

The lack of leadership in the Arsenal dressing room is renowned. Petr Cech was not wrong when he questioned the club’s mentality. It has long been a strong criticism in the media. The lack of resilience, fight, desire and commitment has been painful. And Koscielny, first as one of the senior players in the squad and then as the team and finally club captain, is a contributor to this.

Proof of that came on Thursday morning when Arsenal officially announced that he would miss the pre-season tour of United States. In a statement, the club said:

"“Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for our pre-season tour. We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions. We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time.”"

Koscielny may want to leave the club, and he may have free-agent offers in France, where he wants to return to close out his career, but this not the way to go about leaving the organisation that signed you, developed you, and established you as one of the world’s best footballers. There is nothing with wrong with wanting to leave, but this is not the day to go about it.

A leader, a responsible, communicative, self-aware leader would not behave like this. They would not even demand to be released from their contract out of respect from the club and the deal they signed. This is a lack of leadership, and it has been Koscielny’s problem throughout his career.

I do not like to slate players just because they are leaving the club. But it must be ceded that Koscielny is not a good leader, and that is precisely what the Gunners now need.