UEFA Europa League: Arsenal fans want defender out after horrific performance against Atletico Madrid

In Arsene Wenger’s last ever European home game, his Arsenal players put in a courageous performance but ultimately fell short. Just like the second half of his Arsenal tenure, Wenger’s players showed promise but failed to deliver in the crucial moment. Which player let Arsene Wenger down this time? None other than the captain, Laurent Koscielny. 

Arsenal initially took the lead through their player of the night, Alexandre Lacazette in the 60^th minute with a crisp header. That hard work was undone when Koscielny failed to clear the ball when being chased down by Antoine Griezmann. This allowed the wide forward to run through on goal and score Atletico’s vital away goal. 

Now a number of Arsenal fans are calling for Laurent Koscielny to be sold in the summer and follow his manager out the exit door. As always, Arsene Wenger refused to point out Koscielny’s mistake as the reason for the disappointing result. 

Speaking in his post-match conference, Arsene Wenger said:

“I haven’t seen it again, it’s not about blaming individuals as the whole team is very disappointed and down.” 

The Frenchman refused to be downbeat and instead looked on the positive side:  

“For us to have a chance to qualify we have to first get the disappointment out of the way and rebuild the desire and confidence to go there and qualify.” 

This positive outlook was not shared by the fans as tweet after tweet ridiculed the 32-year-old.

It was such a crushing blow as the Gunners had dominated the game from start to finish. Arsenal dominated 76% of possession, attempted 28 shots on goal, created 25 chances and completed a staggering 678 passes. That’s why Laurent Koscielny’s mistake hurts even the more. 

Next Thursday, the Gunners will travel to the Wanda Metropolitano in the hope they can defy all odds and reach the UEFA Europa League Final.