Thomas Vermaelen was today full of adulation for his Arsenal defensive partner Laurent Koscielny.
The French centre-back has this season improved dramatically following a shaky start to his Gunners career and his consistent performances in the heart of defence have not been lost on his Belgian teammate.
"I don't understand why a lot of criticism was there in the first season. The first week I saw him you could tell he was a great player and now it is all coming out in his second season. I am really happy for him.
"He is a great player. I think we know each other's qualities so at the moment it is going well.
"He is good all-round. He is quick, strong and good with the ball.
"I think we are quite similar players as well. There are just a lot of things about defending that he is really good at and that is why I like him.""He has done amazing this season," Vermaelen told the club's official website.
