Switzerland defender Djourou missed virtually the whole of last term and the World Cup after undergoing surgery on a serious knee problem. With the 24-year-old having been out for so long, manager Arsene Wenger was keen to ease him back into action this season. But with Thomas Vermaelen having been sidelined since September and new signings Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny also suffering problems with fitness and form, Djourou has found himself thrown in at the deep end. It looked like being a memorable campaign for everyone at Arsenal when the club were competing on four fronts two months ago. The dramatic unravelling of their quadruple quest means it cannot come to an end quickly enough for many of their players. But, for Djourou, simply becoming a first-team regular after what he has been through is reason enough to celebrate. He told Arsenal TV Online: "That's what you want to achieve, to be consistent and playing every game. "That's what happening at the moment so I'm very happy. "It was a hard season last season. "Why it's even greater is that things turned out that quickly. "Because, you never know, a guy can come back from injury and not be the same. "In my case, I think I came back stronger." Djourou has started 32 games in all competitions this season but has not lost the tingle of excitement of running out on to the field in front of tens of thousands of supporters. "Every time you walk on the pitch, you have that adrenaline in you that says, 'That's it - it's your time'," he said. "It's a really special feeling to see all those people coming to watch you and support you. "I know a lot of people who'd like to have that in their lives."
