The Koscielny Dilemma

[Jbruin]

He can and has put it performances that equal some of the best that Vermaelens put in for us, the key is consistency, if/when he discovers it he'll be classed as a phenomenal CB.

 

[Irish_Owen]

Okay Jbruin, I respect your opinion, but Koscielny at his best has never equalled Vermaelen's best. Vermaelen has barely played this season, and his performance against Liverpool was better than anything Koscielny has done this season.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Totally agree with Bruin on this. Koscielny has put in some masterclasses, but they seem to have been overlooked.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

Also agree that Kos is a lot better than people give him credit for. When he's on his game he is an outstanding defender. Pretty much cannot be beat one on one, wins balls in the air, good passer, fast, good positioning, can carry the ball out of the back if need be...

He's just has made some high-profile mistakes that people won't seem to let go.

 

[Irish_Owen]

Also agree that Kos is a lot better than people give him credit for. When he's on his game he is an outstanding defender. Pretty much cannot be beat one on one, wins balls in the air, good passer, fast, good positioning, can carry the ball out of the back if need be...

He's just has made some high-profile mistakes that people won't seem to let go.

It's actually the amount of low-profile mistakes that go unpunished that worry me most..

 

[blaze_of_glory]

If a mistake goes unpunished, is it a mistake?

 

[Kain]

If a mistake goes unpunished, is it a mistake?

“The referees a w***er!” springs to mind. :wink:

If Koscileny had made the mistakes he does for Arsenal at another club like Man Utd, Liverpool or better yet Sp**s, honestly, you’d all be in stitches… if there was a transfer thread in the forum linking him to us afterwards, put it this way you’d need a week to climb out of all the ape s***.

 

[Cudareli]

Also following the support for Koscielny.

Think he has the potential to be top class and is already beginning to show that. Some of his performances last season were abbsolutely fantastic and if he can add a little consistency to his game, then there is nothing stopping him from moving into an elite category.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I think that if he had a more Vermaelen-esque "****-off" attitude he would get a lot more slack from fans. Verms makes mistakes too but everyone loves him anyway because of his approach to the game (not to mention he's effing awesome 95% of the time).

Kos doesn't have that aura of toughness around him though and I think it maybe hurts his cause in winning people over.

And yeah, he does need to cut the mistakes out in order to make the jump to the very top level, he does make more than Verms. But ability-wise I'm not sure there is much between them.

 

[Irish_Owen]

If a mistake goes unpunished, is it a mistake?

A mistake can be any form misjudgement, so in answer to your question, blatantly yes.

 

[celestis]

Totally agree with Bruin on this. Koscielny has put in some masterclasses, but they seem to have been overlooked.

Doesn't matter cause Messi remembers .

 

[cuban]

in regards to his proness (is that a word ) to mistake...I really think he has cut it out big time...I think its now on the level with pretty much every other defender because everyone makes a mistake from time to time and even the best defenders are at fault for goals regularly...

but has he made really massive **** up recently? cause I don't remember it...

 

[Irish_Owen]

Does failing to play the offside trap correctly 3-4 times a game constitute as a **** up??

And for those still delusional over Koscielny's place in the pecking order, this pretty much confirms Vermaelen and Mertersacker are ahead of him, shockingly...

"For me, we have a strong central defence now. Mertesacker is an outstanding player, (whereas) Koscielny will be an outstanding player - he is slowly getting there - and there is Djourou, Squillaci and Vermaelen.

 

[The Escaped Ape]

Does failing to play the offside trap correctly 3-4 times a game constitute as a **** up??

And for those still delusional over Koscielny's place in the pecking order, this pretty much confirms Vermaelen and Mertersacker are ahead of him, shockingly...

"For me, we have a strong central defence now. Mertesacker is an outstanding player, (whereas) Koscielny will be an outstanding player - he is slowly getting there - and there is Djourou, Squillaci and Vermaelen.

What are you talking about? That quote clearly indicates Vermaelen is fifth choice.

 

[Irish_Owen]

(aware "humour" intended)

 

[The Escaped Ape]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[The Escaped Ape]

There was the vaguest glimmer of a serious point though. Trying to read Wenger's mind from his selection of words in an ad lib comment to the press is a fool's errand.

 

[Irish_Owen]

Wenger is hard to read, and is very vague, but there always is a point to his comments. Over the past number of years, I've found him easier to read. And from that quote, that's the conclusion I came to.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

As much as I rate Kos, I do agree with you Owen that he will most likely be third choice once Vermaelen gets back. He has the ability to push the other two quite hard though, so I think thats good for the defense overall, no safe spots and all that.

 

[Irish_Owen]

He's certainly a highly capable third choice, and with a bit of time and experience, he could be a very good first choice CB too.