Interview

Koscielny - This clean sheet is good for our head

Koscielny

It was an emotional moment for Laurent Koscielny on Saturday as he scored his first goal in 351 days as we beat Chelsea 2-0 at Emirates Stadium.

It has been a long road back from an Achilles injury for the France international, and he picked up the man-of-the-match award on Saturday.

Afterwards, he spoke to the media alongside Alexandre Lacazette - and this is what they said:

on the performance…

LK: Today we needed to win. We made a mistake last week and today it was a game for six points. If we lost we would have been nine points behind - and if we won then it’s just three points. We should be in the race for the top four because it’s very important. I think the commitment today was amazing from all the boys. We talked a lot and today on the pitch we showed which way we want to go together. It’s good to play like this because in football it’s not easy to win, but when everyone fights for each other it’s better and easier.

on our high intensity…

AL: It’s what the coach asked of us in the dressing room, from the front right back to Lolo. We worked and fought all game, so it’s very good.

on our opening goal…

AL: It wasn’t easy for us, but it was a good ball from Hector and I scored so I’m happy. I’m happy for the team.

on Koscielny’s goal…

LK: I’ve been putting in work in the gym! We know free kicks and corners are always important in modern football because there are a lot of small details, so today I’m happy to score because it’s very important for the team. This game was very important for us so I’m happy for the team.

on deservedly going two goals up…

LK: We played well today and we fought together, which is very important. We showed great character on the pitch and we played very well on the ball. We have quality on the ball with our passing and we defended really well together from our strikers. Today we showed our commitment because last week we didn’t win. Today was very important to win and we did it.

on keeping a clean sheet…

LK: When we talk about clean sheets it’s not just about the defenders. Today we showed everyone that we worked together. The strikers worked well and that helps the rest of the team, as at the back it becomes easier to win the challenges and win the ball back. It’s good for our head. We can keep this moving forward.

on fighting for the top four…

AL: Yes because we are now three points away from Chelsea so we are still in the race and we will fight until the end.

on fighting back from injury for moments like these…

LK: Yes! In football being injured is always difficult. Football players just want to be on the pitch and I worked hard for six months to be here with my teammates and to just enjoy it.

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