After Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat against Chelsea, Laurent Koscielny was asked to reflect upon another frustrating afternoon in the Premier League.

As quoted by the captain on our official website, he said, “I think we had a good reaction but Chelsea played well and they scored with their first opportunity during the first-half. After, we had some opportunities to score too, but we didn’t [take them] – that is the difference between us and them.

Koscielny (L) in action against Chelsea, attempting to tackle the onrushing Eden Hazard
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Laurent Koscielny (L) won four aerial duels, made five clearances, three successful tackles and four interceptions during a forgettable afternoon for Arsenal away at Stamford Bridge. (Picture source: Getty Images)

In the second-half we tried to comeback because we knew this game was very important for the race for the title.

Crucially, the French centre-back outlined just how important a victory would’ve been for the team as a whole. Successive defeats for the second time since the opening weeks of December, things aren’t looking promising from Arsenal’s perspective going forward.

We needed to have the three points, first because it’s our direct opponent and second because we lost against Watford on Tuesday.

Now twelve points behind the league leaders after this latest defeat, Koscielny admitted the team are collectively disappointed but seek a positive response with more fixtures coming shortly.

The confidence is a little bit down but with a win it will come back quickly. We need to work together to stay like a unit, like a squad. During the season we’ve had some bad moments but we need to stay confident and show our quality.

When questioned on where Arsenal struggled to match Chelsea the 31-year-old said, “I think we’d have had a lot of chances if we’d played quickly with our passing, on the flank we had to combine to have some opportunities. We did it in the first-half.

During a big game, if you don’t take your opportunities, it’s difficult to win the game. We need to be more efficient in both boxes,” Koscielny continued.