- Per Mertesacker &
- Laurent Koscielny
It seems only right to put these two rocks as a pair, because that’s what they are. They’ve been at the heart of the Arsenal defence all season, and bar a few extraordinary mishaps, together they’ve seen Arsenal have the best defence record in the league for quite some time. No more do we sweat in the face of opposition corners. No more do we sweat when we’re pinned back, waiting for that Squillaci miss-kick. Individual errors appear to have been largely eradicated at the back, and that’s largely down to the partnership these two have struck up. Mertesacker has the ancient experience and tactical know how of the game, having been there and seen it all. And Koscielny seems the perfect compliment. He might be the quickest and most technically assured centre back I’ve ever seen. He’s cool under pressure. He always seem to have that little bit extra, which see’s him recover the crucial couple of yards needed to thwart danger in the last seconds of an attack. I’d happily regard Koscielny as the best defender in the league. Apparently a ridiculous statement – unless you’re an Arsenal fan. Wouldn’t swap him for anyone. And Mertesacker is simply a leader. He’s the new Mr Arsenal. He’ll be our captain next season. And it shows.