Laurent Koscielny has admitted he’s not the typical bellowing captain when he pulls on the armband, saying he prefers to lead by example with his performances.
The French international is currently on the on-field skipper in the absence of club captain Per Mertesacker, and he prefers his feet, rather than his mouth, to do the talking.
Speaking to L’Equipe in a wide-ranging interview, he was asked about his style of captaincy, saying, “I do not mouth off, that is for sure. I am not a great orator, I do not like long speeches. It is not in my nature.
“But, for me, that is not the role of the captain. The captain, is a player who must act as an example on the pitch, who needs to bring his teammates onto the right path to win. I try to do what I know to do the best that I can.
“Fight on the pitch. Win my duels. Have a good game. Show my teammates that they can count on me. It is my performances and my qualities on the pitch that show my leadership, in inverted commas.”
We all know Arsene Wenger prefers ‘collective leadership’ anyway. In the absence of a totemic figure like Tony Adams – who are very rare when it comes right down to it – he wants all his players to take responsibility.
Koscielny’s performances this season have certainly showed leadership qualities, with some goals and committed defending, and he also paid tribute to the Arsenal manager for taking a chance on him when he signed him from Lorient for £10m after just one season of top flight football.
“I am in the French national team and at Arsenal thanks to the boss,” he said. “It was he who brought me here. It was he who had the balls to buy me from Lorient when I was nobody.
“It was my first year in Ligue 1, at an average club in Ligue 1. He took a punt on me for a club like Arsenal which is one of the biggest 10 clubs in Europe.
“He took a risk in bringing me here, to make me progress and grow as a player and a man. I will be grateful my entire career.”
—
Queue daft red card 😉
You need balls to say balls.
You’re a hero and a champion
Kos is now actually the boss.
I can’t help but feel that koscielny is going to have a couple of years of absolutely peak form and cement his status as one of our best modern day centre halves. He’s come an awful long way both physically and mentally since he first joined. Glad that he’s there to lead a young and hungry defensive unit. This is the best I’ve felt about our defense in years and it’s in no small part down to seeing his name on the team sheet every week.
Let’s stay mentally strong this afternoon and get the result. COYG!
Gotta love Bossciely. I wonder if anybody will still say we lack leadership if we end up winning the league.
I’ve always preferred to see players being vocal but now I realise that it’s not the only mark of leadership. In the same way yelling from the touchline isn’t the only way to gauge a manager’s passion.
Who yells from the touchline, haha!
One and only Le Boss
The lack of a bellowing Tony Adams figure at Arsenal is a worn-out tabloid cliché at this point. There are other ways to be a captain, as Koscielny rightly points out. For me, having one loud leader is not nearly as important as having everyone on the team communicate with each other during games. That’s the only way to be an effective unit, to form strong partnerships in all areas of the pitch. It has often felt in recent years like our players are quietly expected to know their jobs and just get on with it. That’s also reflected in… Read more »
And some critics “wonder why his players (and significant percentage of arsenal fan base) are so loyal to him” when things are not going well……well, that’s one of the reasons why!
I don’t mind him not speaking much but he does need to be able to be effective at communicating when things are going wrong in the team. Adams didn’t speak that much but did when necessary.
Kos is a great example though, has grit and determination.
I almost cried reading the last paragraph. This guy (koscielny) is truly the Boss and a grateful legend. COYG!
Fantastic from Kos. This is what Wenger clearly has that sets him apart from all other. He builds. He nurtures. He cares, not just about himself and his personal glory, but for the club, players and everyone involved. Say what you may but to me Wenger is a legendary maker of legends! Happy Birthday Boss!
Been mentioned before but worth mentioning again that Kos scores goals when we most need them. An Arsenal legend already in my opinion.
Hell yeah!
We can not do without this men kos forever Arsenal
Mustafi is doing all the talking at the back and that’s fine. Kos is one of the best CB’s in the world right now
Fantastic from Kos. This is what Wenger clearly has that sets him apart from all others. He builds. He nurtures. He cares, not just about himself and his personal glory, but for the club, players and everyone involved. Say what you may but to me Wenger is a legendary maker of legends! Happy Birthday Boss!
Simply one of the best defenders in the world, and was it 6 million? A joy to watch, in every single game.
I love the respect for Wenger. And great player
Off topic but did anyone see the faces he was pulling around 80:00 in the Ludogorets game? hilarious