Laurent Koscielny has highlighted the importance of getting a win against Manchester City on Monday night.

However, the defender was keen to mention that although we need to get the three points, we also need to do it against every team we come up against. Three points is three points, no matter what team you’re facing.

“[Man City] had a bad result in some games but they are still very important in the league,” the centre-back said.

“It is important to win against them. We need to get some good results. We are aware we have to play a lot of games and it is a difficult period.

“We know we will play a big team like Manchester City but we also will play Bournemouth who are trying to stay in the Premier League so it will be harder. We need to focus on our game and try to get the three points.”

I do see what Kos is saying. You don’t win extra points for beating your closest rivals and losing to City is statistically the same as losing to Bournemouth. However, the confidence gained from winning against one of the Premier League’s better teams is far greater. It shows we’re to be taken seriously and that we deserve our place in the table.

In previous seasons, we’ve struggled to pick up points against the likes of City but now there appears to have been a shift. If we can win this fixture, we’ll be in an even stronger position.