Laurent Koscielny insists he was never riled by Diego Costa during their fiery confrontation in September but admits his friends said they would have hit the Spaniard.
The pair clashed during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge — a match marred by Gabriel’s red card in response to Costa’s provocative behaviour.
Gabriel dismissal was later rescinded by the FA’s independent regulatory commission, who instead chose to retrospectively suspend Costa for his earlier collision with Koscielny.
The Frenchman showed restraint during the game, as Costa appeared to hit him in the face before bundling him to the ground. “At the time, when he gives me a slap on the face, I don’t pay attention,” Koscielny told L’Equipe.
“We’re in a defensive situation and I continue to play. After he pushes me, I fall and get up because I’m not the type of player who drops down like that. Sure, I could have had a reaction but I managed to keep my nerves. He wants to blow a defender’s fuse but you have to stay calm. I received a lot of messages telling me: ‘Well done because I would have hit him’.
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“It’s five years that I’ve been at Arsenal, I have over 200 matches with my team, some very important. I played a World Cup and the Euros. All this experience helps my serenity and allows me to not be overwhelmed by the emotions of an encounter.”
Koscielny was left out of the France squad for their October friendlies against Armenia and Denmark because of an Achilles problem but he has been included this time for a double-header, despite Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fearing the 30-year-old could be an injury risk.
The defender was left out of Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing at Bayern Munich due to a hip problem but was passed fit to face Tottenham last weekend, although he was at fault for Harry Kane’s opening goal.
France face Germany tonight before playing England at Wembley on Tuesday. Mesut Ozil will not face his club-mate in Paris after being rested for the clash.
