2 – Mertesacker Depends On Koscielny
We didn’t even need a game to judge this one, because we found out after just 19 seconds.
Today marked the first game in the last four where Koscielny had been dropped to the bench, after recovering from a long-term injury. In the three games he did play against Dortmund, West Brom and Southampton not a single goal was conceded. Coincidence?
Wenger decided to produce a reshuffle at the back, bringing Bellerin in at right back and Chambers to sit in the middle. But why? Everything was okay with how things were at the back, and in a game away to Stoke it isn’t the point to ‘try something different out’.
Per looked unsettled, uncomfortable on the ball, and almost as if he was babysitting Chambers and Bellerin. He was improving in recent games, as your player ratings showed over the weeks. But one thing was clear today, that there is no better partnership than him and Koscielny at the back, and nobody is good enough in our team to fill the void when one of those superstars is out.
The move from Wenger was a mistake, and he probably knows that more than anyone else. Now, going into a tough domestic month over Christmas, Arsenal are without Callum Chambers for one game, meaning he will have no choice but to bring back Koscielny back into the starting line up, something we can all deal with.