The indifferent form of Laurent Koscielny can finally be explained. It’s said that the Frenchman has been suffering with Achilles problems all season. The Arsenal captain suffered an Achilles injury in the 2nd leg tie with Atletico Madrid on Thursday, which is likely to take at least six months to recover from, as per Express.
It remains to be seen to what extent the injury is but it’s said that the 32-year-old may have suffered a tear or rupture. If it is as torn, that is one thing but it appears to be a rupture which is extremely serious.
Achilles injuries occur when the player suddenly pushes off and lifts their foot, it is common with sports stars such as sprinters who create incredible downforce to sprint from the starting block. The power it requires can be too much for the tendon to handle.
A total rupture is more common in men, affecting them 10 times more than women. The Injury typically occurs 30 to 40 minutes into a period of exercise rather than at the start of a session and nearly always happens from a sudden explosive movement or bending the foot upwards.
The injury is easy to pinpoint in the early stages of Arsenal’s game against Madrid when Diego Costa breezed past a flat-footed Koscielny and Ponderous Monreal.
Koscielny was involved in a defensive battle with the Madrid striker, which he lost and was taken off his feet. I’m not suggesting that Costa did anything wrong but the tracking back at speed may have been the cause of the damage which then led to the Frenchman collapsing in a heap unchallenged.
Fears for Koscielny’s career were echoed by former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, who was part of ITV’s Europa League coverage:
‘It’s a nasty injury. There’ll be question marks over him getting back to top-level football ‘
Let’s hope not but it’s difficult to overcome serious injuries of this nature when a player is in their 30’s. Teammate Santi Cazorla has been absent for 19 months and he required a series of operations after he lost eight centimeters from his Achilles because of a severe infection.
Thankfully Cazorla is on the mend but will he be the player he once was? Well, that can only be assessed once he is fit to play. Rumour has it that he may even feature for five minutes or so before the end of the season but that has not been confirmed.
Koscielny will hopefully embrace the advice of the Spaniard in his own recovery, with the knowledge that Cazorla has been to hell and back for his love of football and Arsenal football club.
