Koscielny BACK; defender spotted training ahead of Dortmund clash

In a piece of good news, Arsenal centre back Laurent Koscielny was spotted training with his teammates today ahead of the clash with Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates. The Frenchman was sidelined with acute tendonitis after being sent back from international duty; and although Arsene Wenger had initially suggested that it would be a short term injury, the player has been absent for well over a month.

In his absence, Arsenal have been forced to rely on left back Nacho Monreal to partner Per Mertesacker in the heart of defence, and that partnership has yielded mixed results at best. The return of Koscielny is an immense relief and will surely do much to ease nerves both at the club and amongst the fans.

This caps off a good couple of weeks on the injury front; apart from Koscielny, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud have also returned to full training, the latter a whole month ahead of schedule. Though we might have lost Wilshere, this is the best shape the team has been in for a while.

Whether Koscielny will be fit to play in the game against Dortmund remains to be seen, and I would much rather that Wenger rest him to ensure that he is properly healed. But if the medical team gives the all clear, then maybe the Frenchman’s presence in the heart of our defence is what we need to overturn our two game losing streak and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.