Top 10 Arsenal Players 2012/13 by a Gooner

5. Laurent Koscielny

This is another controversial one; not because Koscielny doesn’t deserve to be in the Top 10. It’s just that many others would have put him higher up on their list. Yes, he came 2nd in the official Arsenal poll, but let’s just rewind a little bit. He was awful for the first few months of the season. He was the leader in a defence that conceded 4 against Reading – he even got one of their goals!

Our defensive solidity was praised at the beginning of the season, when he wasn’t there. But maybe I’m being harsh, and maybe TV5 was at fault for some of Koscielny’s shortcomings? Either way, his return to form saw Arsenal clinch 4th spot, and his watertight partnership with Mertesacker was arguably the main reason for that. Let’s hope that Wenger sticks with it for the start of next season.

Best moment – His match-winning performance and a well taken goal against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena. He grew in confidence from there, and it started an unbeaten run that saw us secure Champions League football.