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Arsenal: If Laurent Koscielny did it, so can Rob Holding
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal will be welcoming Rob Holding back soon, but that doesn’t mean he is going to impact immediately. Although… Laurent Koscielny kind of did it.
Arsenal‘s defense needs help and it’s not the first time I’ve been saying that, nor is it going to be the last time. They are a club with a lot of things figured out, but one big one still lacking. David Luiz and Sokratis are not panning out all that well, and Calum Chambers is planted on the bench, with Rob Holding set to return to first team duties soon.
Returning from an ACL tear is never easy, and there are many out there advising caution in what to expect from Holding. He is, after all, the future. So no point in rushing him back from such a serious injury right?
Right. In a sense. But there is reason to be optimistic even in spite of the words of warning, and it’s for the same reasons we saw last year when Koscielny was returning from the exact same injury, albeit a decade later into his career than the young and sprightly Holding.
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Last season, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi were struggling, and I again said “this defense needs help.” At the time, Koscielny was the only form that help could take.
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After a few slower matches, Koscielny picked it up and became that help we so desperately needed, crushing it until the end of the season, and the rest isn’t important. The point is, Koscielny came back from a serious ACL tear and was immediately trusted to grow through the rust and be the help we needed.
Why can’t Rob Holding do the same? Maybe we don’t throw him straight into the fray, and when we do, be sure to keep tabs on his fitness, even if we only give him an hour or so before subbing him off, but again, this defense needs help, and if Unai Emery is so oddly opposed to giving Chambers the ability to be that help, then the next best thing is to trust in Holding who earned that trust last year.
Maybe rushing isn’t necessary, but getting him back in the moment he is ready is necessary. Because the future doesn’t have to wait if it’s here.
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Honestly, I don’t see why Chambers can’t tide us over until Holding is back, but at the very least, the return of midweek competitions will see all our defenders out there again.