‘I Learned About Myself’ – Laurent Koscielny Reflects On Difficult Journey After Making Comeback

Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny finally made his long-awaited return…

Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny made his long-awaited return from an achilles injury against Qarabag in our final Europa League group stage game and the Frenchman was visibly elated, BT Sport reports.

Koscielny ruptured his achilles in this very competition in May, going down after twisting awkwardly in our semi-final clash at Atletico Madrid in May.

The injury had a devastating effect on us in that game as we crashed out, though it had a more lasting personal effect on Koscielny as he was forced to miss out on the World Cup – which France eventually won.

It has been a long road to recovery and after returning to first-team training in October, Unai Emery has been cautious in bringing the 33-year-old back into the fold.

The home game against Qarabag was always pencilled in as a return and the Frenchman produced an assured display.

“It’s difficult, you have some difficult moments,” Koscielny said about his recovery.

“It was my first big injury, and I was a long time out from the pitch. It’s difficult but you learn a lot about yourself, and the people you have around you.

“As I said, I’m very happy, calm with myself, focused mentally, and you are stronger because it’s tough to miss being on the pitch. Now it’s the end of that and with a smile, I will just enjoy it with my club and I’ll start my season now.”

Koscielny didn’t complete the full 90 minutes which indicates that he will start the game at Southampton given that he’s our only available central defender.

Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis are suspended for the trip to the south coast which enhances the pressure on Koscielny to play twice in a matter of days.