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Rio Ferdinand calls Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny the 'best defender in the Premier League'

The Frenchman has been in impressive form this season

Thursday 10 December 2015 11:31 GMT

Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport last night (BT Sport)

Speaking as a pundit for BT Sport during Arsenal's 3-0 win over Olympiakos last night, Rio Ferdinand called Laurent Koscielny the best defender in the Premier League.

Koscielny put in a fine performance as the Gunners advanced to the Champions League Last-16, and former Manchester United and England defender Ferdinand was full of praise for the Frenchman afterwards.

"Koscielny for me, when he's on form I think he's the best defender in the league," Ferdinand said.

"[Manchester City's Vincent] Kompany's not fit enough consistently enough and he's turned into a real top class defender."

In the match in Athens, Giroud grabbed a superb hat-trick as Arsenal crushed Olympiakos 3-0 to book their spot in the Champions League's last 16 with a classy demolition job.

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

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1/11Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Petr Cech 7 out of 10

Kept alert through extended periods with little or nothing to do; when he was called upon he was never found wanting. His save from Fortounis at 2-0 was vital in keeping the Gunners on top.

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Bellerin 5 out of 10

Another disappointing display from the Spaniard, who has not looked quite the same since returning from injury last month. His passing was loose and he struggled defensively with the pacey, tricky Seba, though he received next to no support from Walcott.

2015 Getty Images

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Mertesacker 6 out of 10

Struggled with the pace of Ideye early on, a difficulty he did not make any easier by strolling forward far too often. But an excellent diving tackle on the hour mark revitalized the German, who was then crucial in repelling Olympiakos crosses into the area.

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Koscielny 8 out of 10

Absolutely outstanding in the early period as his colleagues seemed determined to play into Olympiakos hands. On at least two occasions he cut out what would have been almost certain goals as he dived to clear crosses.

2015 Getty Images

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Monreal 7 out of 10

Became increasingly vital to Arsenal’s attacking play when Walcott switched to the left, and his crossing was far better than it has been for much of the season. That he combined this with solid defensive work capped a very good display.

2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Flamini 6 out of 10

Too often he was caught out of position when the hosts broke, chasing the ball rather than holding the defensive line. In the second half he was simply a passenger as those further forward took charge.

2015 Getty Images

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Ramsey 6 out of 10

Could not be blamed for his booking, coming as it did when Olympiakos were breaking with menace whenever Arsenal gave the ball away. Indeed Ramsey showed notable defensive skills in the first half, tackling well to stop goalscoring opportunities.

2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Walcott 6 out of 10

Unselfishly flitted around the frontline, looking for the best place in which to help his team-mates. But his hard work arguably let him down, as he seemed unable to establish an understanding with his team-mates.

2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Ozil 7 out of 10

It may not have been another assist for his burgeoning tally, but Ozil’s pass for Monreal in the build-up to the opener was the sort of incisive moment Wenger needed from his star man. With Olympiakos’ defence packed in front of him he was unlikely to get many chances to create, but he made what he did get count.

2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Campbell 8 out of 10

Another display to silence the doubters, and Campbell may now have overtaken Oxlade-Chamberlain in the pecking order. A brilliant reverse pass from the Costa Rican gave Giroud his second.

2015 Getty Images

Arsenal player ratings vs Olympiakos

Giroud 9 out of 10

A brilliant display from the striker, who dominated Da Costa and Siovas to give Arsenal a vital outball. His powerful header was too much for Roberto before he shrugged off what seemed a serious injury to make it two. He then secured the hat-trick he deserved from the spot.

2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc

With Arsenal needing an emphatic victory to make it out of Group F, France forward Giroud produced a high-calibre display of finishing to ensure the English club finished second, level on nine points with Olympiakos, but ahead by virtue of their better head-to-head record.

 Laurent Koscielny in action for Arsenal against Sunderland last weekend (2015 Getty Images)

Giroud opened the scoring with a powerful header in the first half, doubled Arsenal's advantage with a calm left-footed finish quickly after the restart and rounded off a superb individual display with a penalty.

The victory completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Arsenal who lost three of their first four games of the campaign and needed to win by any result other than 1-0 or 2-1 in their decisive group clash to finish second behind group winners Bayern Munich.

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