Like all of us, Per Mertesacker particularly enjoyed Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi boss Diego Costa about last week during the 3-0 win over Chelsea.
The club captain is currently out of the side due to injury, but used his programme notes to praise his German international colleague and his long-time Arsenal partner about the connection they’ve made in the few weeks they’ve been playing together.
“As a defender, I enjoyed watching how Laurent and Shkodran dealt with Diego Costa,” said the BFG.
“I think the two of them will be a great pairing and what I find most impressive is how quickly they’ve developed their partnership. They really complement each other.
“When they needed to get really tight, they did. When they needed to be strong, they were. I think their partnership is getting better and better.”
He also updated on his knee injury, sustained in a pre-season friendly back in June, which is expected to keep him sidelined until next year.
“I’m very positive and hopefully I can continue to develop slowly but in a good way,” he said.
“I’m not rushing anything but of course I can’t wait to be back on the pitch. I’ve got no pain in my knee at the moment so hopefully that continues.”
And just in case you haven’t seen it already, or simply want to enjoy it again, here’s Mustafi and Koscielny making Costa incredibly angry.
'Kostafi' vs Diego Costa… pic.twitter.com/iV3vUMrkIg
— TerryAFC (@TerryAFCx) September 24, 2016
Ah, fucking brilliant..
I don’t think I can watch this enough times. Excellent defending and comedy gold
And then the music. That fucking tune is just perfect!
Costa looks like a cute teddy bear with the music… ^_^
Hahah that Kos’s push to Cunsta…. fantastic.
Hope Per signs a new contract. IMO he wouldn’t mind to be a squad player (still enough games to play) + he is more than capable to play at the top level. He is a great mentor to all players. Such a important persona for this squad.
He was short of pace before the injury. I would recommend that we are pragmatic rather than emotional.
All this pace argument is rubbish. Per has bailed us out numerous times being at the right place at the right time. NO point pace when you have no clue where to be. Gabriel has plenty of pace but he isn’t at Per’s level yet even. Also worth noting Koscielny makes his fair share of mistakes. Its just some people tend to hold Metersecker to a microscope and amplify every mistake he may make. I would counsel a bit of sense rather than ‘pragmatic’. That said, Per is likely in his last season with us (Although we may still need… Read more »
but he reads the game well and already has a great relationship with Kos. Maybe no more than a 1 year contract from now. Having said that, Holding and Kos was starting to look really steady as well so we might not want Mert taking too much time from Rob’s development. Tough call actually. I’ll trust the guy who’s been making these decisions for 20 years 🙂
Rolling 1 year contract. Have we not learn the mistake of letting go over 30 players too early? We still got lots of young defender that need mentoring.
Once again Santori speaks good sense. Per provided great stabillity at a time when our back four were vulnerable to even moderate teams. Positional sense is a key football skill. Big Tony, Bobby Moore, Beckenbauer, Rudi Krol and many other past greats could never have been described as “quick”.
Mustafi’s performance with Kos against Chelski was one of the memorable features of the game to me. Costa is a great striker and a handful for any defence, yet our boys imposed their authority for the majority of the match. Let’s hope they can do the same when Aguerro turns up..!
Yes Costa was playing in that game. I hardly even noticed he was there.
It was twenty years ago today,
Arsene Wenger taught our club to play
We’ve been going in and out of style
But we’re guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you:
Arsene Wenger’s brilliant Arsenal team!
To the tune of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Any chance of this making it to the terraces?
Maybe if Costa had this music playing round his head he wouldn’t be such an odious cunt all of the time.
Finally, a football video with brilliant, apropos music
Brilliant stuff from BFG. And I bet we all enjoyed it more than you did.
This team just makes me feel on top of the world.
What a way to celebrate #AW20. #COYRRG #YaGunnersYa
Speaking of the 20 anniversary, I think that the following is by far the most fitting tribute I have read so far:
http://goonerholic.com/2016/09/twenty-isnt-plenty/
I felt like sharing it because it is brilliant.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen the partnership between two CBs come together so quickly! If they continue working so well together then we may have the best defence in the league this season. Can’t wait to see them back in action tomorrow.
I can watch Mustafi’s slide tackles all day every day
I like mustafi’s no nonsense defending,so many times you see defenders give goals away from not launching the ball down field.
That first bit of contact with Kos and he’s on the floor with the look of disbelief on his ugly mug. “I went down and no red card for the defender? But I WENT DOWN!!! Where’s the red? I can’t fucking believe this! This is OUTRAGEOUS!!! What? I’m meant to just play on?”.
☞HA HA ?
When I saw that expression on costa’s face (0:32), my day just got a little better. Thanks koscielny.
His gesticulating and shouting at the end is like a child going “DAAAAAAD! MUUUUUM, big brother stomped on my sand castle again! DAAAAD!!!!”. Then “Dad” went “shush or I’ll send you to your room. You’ve been warned already”.
This makes me so happy
Love the guy in the red shirt at the end doing a perfect imitation of DC’s petulant histrionics just a millisecond after the man himself!
Not to hand Costa any praise at all but is it possible that his tendency to get up instead of acting like he’s just been shot every time he goes down is due to the new manager telling him to play fucking football and stop fannying about? Either way he doesn’t seem quite comfortable in his new role as a football player instead of a professional diver and a cheat.
brilliant! … especially the end of the video when the fans at all imitating him ::))
Ha Ha Ha!……Top comedy footage. probably the most satisfying and emotionally fulfilling clip of arsenal play I have ever watched. I hate this guy with a passion and to watch him being so humiliated, all in ‘fair play’ is for me, priceless!
The football video,what a treat! My index finger is probably worn out from repeat viewing. Well done Kos @co. To see Costa angry, instead of others on the receiving end of his behaviour had me in paroxysms of laughter. A great viewing for an Ancient Gooner.
KosMus (Cosmos) sounds much better than Kostafi.
Wow that was so nice to watch!
I never get tired of watching that video. Seeing that cunt cry like a baby warms my heart.
f**k me Costa’s ugly.
Great compilation.
Genius…made my day.. The football and the compilation, plus icing on the cake, perfect sound track…
It’s a birth defect. It’d has an impact on his behaviour and also makes him look Joseph merrick.
That word “Kostafi”, started with me I think
However, I got no recommendations for my quick creativity immediately after Mustaphi was signed
Haha. Don’t make this about you. cause it’s about Costa. everything is
Neither Sergio Leone nor Quentin Tarantino could/would have done that better … great seriously/ comical stuff which should be kept and played in the Arsenal visual museum for the next generation of the supporters to watch ! it is a consolation after the Drogba Wars 🙂
Love the music here and the reaction of the fans at the end of the video! ?