Laurent Koscielny has volunteered to cover at right-back in the absence of Bacary Sagna after Arsene Wenger confirmed that Carl Jenkinson will share the duty with other squad members in the coming months.
Speaking to the Arsenal website, the former Lorient man revealed that he had garnered experience in the role during his formative years in France and would be willing to sacrifice his preferred centre-back position should the likes of Johan Djourou and Thomas Vermaelen be available to partner Per Mertesacker.
“I played right back when I started my career,” said Koscielny. “Now it’s maybe seven years since that. If I have to go to right back I will give my best for the team and will try to do the job with my qualities.
“It is difficult when you lose Bacary because he is a strong guy and one of the best players. Behind him is Carl so I think he will play. I know Carl and when comes on the pitch he gives everything he can for the team.”
On Thursday Arsene Wenger put Jenkinson forward as his prefered right-back option, playing down the prospect of Francis Coquelin providing cover in the position:
“I think it is more down to Jenkinson because Coquelin has never been at ease as a right back. He is not somebody who likes to play at right back and his confidence is not high at right back.
“We have other opportunities as well, we have Jenkinson, we have Koscielny who has been educated as a right-back and we have Djourou who can play right-back. Even Santos can play there.
“Jenkinson will not play all the games, we will have to find another player who can alternate with him. We’ll do that although immediately we just need someone who can come in and play.”
Anything but keep Djourou out of the 1st team.
When will fans like you learn to stop blaming individual players!
For most of last season Djourou was immense for us now that he’s forms poor you’ve given up on him!
It’s cause fans are fickle… They’re doing the same to Kos too.
Arsenal don’t need any enemies to slate us- we have more than enough to do the job ourselves
more like : Backs himself INTO right back spot
Mmmmh
Jenkinson can do alright at home to Sunderland I think. I’d love to see Coq get a run in the team though. He’s looked really good so far. COYG. Let’s make the Media sad by tearing Sunderland a new one!!!
Oh but the media would only say we got lucky or struggled or some sh*t like that…
Ever since he joined the club, I’ve felt Kos was perhaps better suited to being coached in the CD and fullback positions so he could then be used to cover the entire defence as required.
Fine, defensively. But a thought: Can Kos even cross the ball?! If he can’t do this well enough, Kos must remain a certain 3rd choice. Without the threat of a good ball from the wings the middle will remain even more crowded.
He like a foward run, occasionaly good when he reckons the boys need geeing up, quite good at moving the play foward 10 yards.
Never seen him cross though.
Can Theo Walcott cross the ball?
I havn’t got a problem with Kos as cover for the cover; one thing we can be sure of he will give it 100%. I agree with Goon Mate mind, I think Jenkinson can do OK against Sunderland, hopefully he’ll have a solid performance and get some of the nastier elements in the crowd off his back.
When TV5 returns, a defence with kos at right back looks more solid.
Alpha t I think you use the word immense to lightly, djourou is not and has not an never will be immense, as gooners were so used to watching self destructive defending we r now labelling djourou as immense last year.. really?
That picture is awesome! Half early Bart Simpson half velociraptor. I really like Kos. I think the boo boys should lay off him. He’s got a real spirit about him, works really hard for the team, brilliant at last ditch tackles and is a great passer for a defender too! I’d prefer he stays at CB, perhaps at RB if we’re really up shit creak. I would have Jenks at RB before him. It’s his natural position and he’s a really good crosser of the ball. If he were playing RB instead of Jenks then got injured then we’d be… Read more »
show me your war face!
They took urrr juubbbbs!!!
our right back options without Sagna are disgraceful. Jenkinson, Kos and Djourou, would any of the teams in the top 10 have any of them anywhere near their rightback slot? no. Let alone playing champions league football…. Should have just kept Eboue. We’re going to really struggle until Sagna’s fit. Truth hurts, but its a dire state of affairs.
What I love most about kosc is his face during a game. Kosc has a battle-face that will scare me if I was a striker. Unlike metersacker, that never looks confident facially. Defender need to look hard to scare strikers. I chose koscielny EVERYDAY.