Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny has said that he would have hit Diego Costa, but kept calm during Arsenal’s game against Chelsea earlier this season that saw Costa slapping the Frenchman and had a spat with Gabriel Paulista that saw the Brazilian defender eventually getting sent off . Later Costa was punihed by the FA for his actions.
While speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe about the situation, the Arsenal defender said “At the time, when he gives me a slap on the face, I don’t pay attention. 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 fuse defender, but you have to stay calm.”
The Arsenal defender did stay calm, which impressed his friends, judging by the messages Koscielny got after the match “I received a lot of messages telling me: “Well done, because I, I would have hit him. You know, it’s five years that I’ve been at Arsenal, I have over two hundred matches with my team, some very important, I played a World Cup, the Euros… all this experience helps my serenity and allows me to not be overwhelmed by the emotions of an encounter.”