Our Season So Far - Left Side Defense

Thomas Vermaelen       

This season has not been one of TV5’s best. This has not been down to his poor performances, but rather due to the consistency of our other two centrebacks. When Vermaelen has been called upon this season, I think he has done an admirable job. He has only been involved in 11 games, 5 of which were from the bench, but he has looked far more like the man we signed from Ajax, rather than the man who went missing last year. It seems as though a loss of form at a crucial point in our season last year has cost him his starting place, however he is our club captain for a reason. There was a time when Vermaelen was up there as one of the best in Europe, so it would be a shame to let him go when there is obvious talent beneath his doubt. I would like to see him tried in a CDM role against opposition where their number 10 is a distinct threat. He has the aerial, positional and tackling ability to succeed in the role, as well as a hammer of a left foot which could let fly on rare forays forward.

Rating 7/10

Laurent Koscielny         

Kos is the boss and has been magical this season. He has been one of the club's stand out players and should make the team of the season for a lot of football fans. Kos has come on leaps and bounds since a rather uncertain start to his Arsenal career. This was not helped by having to marshal the defense alongside players like Almunia, Djourou and Squillaci, but now alonside his giant German soulmate Koscielny is imperious. He always shows 100% commitment every single match even when his counterparts are flagging. His ability to read a pass and step in to intercept has been second to none, often carrying the ball forward to start off our next attack. My only criticism of him has been his lack of prolificacy in front of goal. Obviously I understand his main role in the side isn’t to score goals, however, he seems to have every other part of his game down, and as he has proven in previous seasons, he has an eye for goal. One goal is simply not a good enough return, considering he features in every one of our set pieces which is why he doesn’t receive a 10.

Rating 9/10

Kieran Gibbs                

Gibbs has been massively unlucky this season, playing the best football of his career for a team top of the table for so long, and yet being overlooked in the most recent England call-up. Gibbs has been a key player for us this season, with many starting to believe he can fill the void left by Cole many years ago. He is part of a back four that has never lost when they’ve completed 90 minutes together. Thinking back to the first Bayern game, you can see how much of an impact he has on the team. Within a short period of him coming off injured, the player he had been keeping at bay so admirably managed to free himself and win Bayern the penalty whic ultimately lost us the tie. We look solid with him and vulnerable without him. He’s developed good balance to his game, knowing when to get forward and being caught out of position much less often. He has been more effective too when he is forward, getting in much better quality crosses than in previous season. If he can further develop his crossing ability he can become a world-class left back. 

8/10