Called into a French national team press conference on Tuesday, Laurent Koscielny was eager to defend the performance of Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger.

A poor run of form has seen the Gunners slip right to the edge of the title race. Currently in third and 11 points adrift of Leicester City, there’s a lot of work to be done.

France's defender Laurent Koscielny arrives to give a press conference at the team's training centre in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines on March 22, 2016, three days ahead of the friendly football match against Netherland. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
France’s defender Laurent Koscielny arrives to give a press conference at the team’s training centre in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines on March 22, 2016, three days ahead of the friendly football match against Netherland. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

As a result, Arsène Wenger’s future has been brought into doubt in recent weeks. The media are piling on the pressure and some fans have been seen at games with banners asking for change. Right now, more than ever, people seem to believe the boss has seen his best years pass him by and many fans are eager to see change. Koscielny, however, supports the manager.

“The coach has been working for the club for a long time now,” Koscielny said. “He has seen many banners in his career. He is really serene at the moment. I understand the fans’ frustration. We are doing our best to win the league. The coach is still the right man for the job.”

With speculation flying around and the media talking about transfer targets as well as the manager’s future it can’t be easy in the dressing room, though you suspect the players learn how to block out the noise.

Koscielny is the second player to come out in defence of Wenger on Tuesday after Mesut Özil took to Twitter to clear the air earlier in the afternoon.

Thanks to Sylvain Jamet for translating Koscielny’s quotes.