Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny wants Arsene Wenger to keep rotating squad

Laurent Koscielny believes that Arsene Wenger's decision to rotate the squad at regular intervals does not disrupt harmony among players. The Gunners played three games in eight days last week and the Frenchman is likely to make wholesale changes to the squad against Sheffield Wednesday to give the first team members a rest ahead of the crucial battle away at Swansea City next weekend.

The centre back is likely to be rested, while Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy and Kieran Gibbs are expected to be back among the top four. Mathieu Flamini and Joel Campbell are also in line for a first team call-up. Wenger has never won at Hillsborough, having lost or drawn in each of their last six attempts, but Koscielny believes that the rotation will not be a problem in getting a result.

The defender played an important role in Arsenal's famous 2-0 win over Bayern Munich last week, which has got them back in the reckoning for a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Their performance in the league has taken them into second spot from where they have a realistic chance of securing their first league title in 11 years.

The Gunners are strung with a series of injuries, with Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta all out, leaving the manager with the option of rearranging his squad to keep them fit for the games ahead.

"We know each other's qualities and we know the philosophy of the team," Koscielny told Arsenal's official website. "A season is long. We saw it last year with a few injuries. So we appreciate having everybody ready to come in. We benefit from the coach's rotation. Everybody brings his contribution. It's important to have that," the French international added.

"I don't know if this is the best Arsenal team I have ever played for but collectively you can tell that we are capable to do great things together. We need to keep that team spirit and this desire and motivation.

"We like having the ball but there are times in games where we are on the back foot and that's when we need to make the efforts for the team and for our team-mates. We did it against Bayern and [against Everton] in the second half. Let's keep it this way until the end of the season," he stressed.