The Francis Coquelin appreciation thread

[Skinner]

Coquelin?

 

[rudebwoyben]

http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/06/manch...weet-about-arsenals-francis-coquelin-5137034/

Hahaha!

 

[thespus]

Also Coquellin performing at higher level

Scruff, who despite our agreement in the other thread I generally like his thoughts on Manchester United, seems to think it's laughable that Le Coq is outperforming Daley Blind. The LVG thread wasn't the place for this discussion, but I'd be curious to hear others weigh in.

Sanchez will win it, but I'd vote for Coquelin as Arsenal player of the season. He's been immense and the most obvious catalyst of our return to form (though it does coincide with Özil's return to fitness). He is the tackler in midfield we've been needing for years. He doesn't go forward, he doesn't pass as well as Matic or Blind, but he's the most efficient tackler in the league and set a season record with 11 interceptions in the match at Burnley last weekend. He's the perfect platform to fit Ramsey, Cazorla, and Özil in the same side.

Blind is a tidy player with good versatility, but lacks athleticism. Coquelin quite simply has been the league's form defensive midfielder in 2015 given Matic's form has dropped.

 

[Mustard]

Coquelin is the single biggest reason for our upturn in form since the new year. Yes, Giroud, Cazorla, Sanchez and Özil have all played very well in that period, but that is in large part because having Coquelin there has given them the freedom to attack without worrying so much about what is happening behind them. If we'd paid £20-30m for him in January, you could say at this point that would have been money well spent so far, he's been that good.

 

[thespus]

(Courtesy of Opta) Since emerging as a starter in December, Francis Coquelin has made a combined 29 more interceptions and tackles than any other player in the Premier League. Arsenal are 15-2-2 in league since. Scruff laughed at my suggestion he's better than Daley Blind. I'm curious to see what defensive-minded midfielders in the league are rated higher than him. It's just Matic for me at the moment. He could improve in possession, but I think a proper training camp with Wenger, knowing he's competing to be in the team, can improve that.

We still need to sign another player to compete with him, and offload Flamini, but it shouldn't be a certainty that Coquelin won't retain his spot in the starting XI. He's been the all-action player we've needed for a long time, and if you've ever seen his celebrations whenever Arsenal score, he's a fiery character, too. Our injury crisis in December led to his emergence and the deployment of Santi in a deeper role. Combined with the return of Özil, those are the biggest contributors to our brilliant form.

 

[Whitechapel]

I think Monreal is an unsung hero too, he's had a superb season and deserves a little more recognition.

 

[Avatar]

Santi as a deep lying player, and the emergence of Monreal, Coquelin and Bellerin are the revelations of the season. Credit to Wenger.

I want Kondogbia who absolutely bitchslapped us at the Emirates to compete with Coquelin for that role, or have them both play together in the big, big games. I think we need at least 2 players, with Arteta, Flamini, Sczeszney, Podolski, Sanogo, and the Great Rozza are all likely to move on.

 

[Skinner]

I called Cazorla dropping deeper ages ago. To sickly could do it too imo

 

[Skinner]

Rosicky*

 

[Storzy]

Rosicky still has incredible energy, so I'm not sure dropping him deeper is necessary. Whether he could maintain the same levels for an entire season though is yet to seen.

Monreal has done well, but I still worry about him one on one against a pacey winger.

 

[thespus]

I believe Rosicky will leave in the summer, unfortunately. At his age and with what he has to offer, he could go play for another five years as a starting player in Italy and he deserves that. One of the Milan sides or Roma would do well with him. I'd like to see him play for Montella at Fiorentina, personally. His persistent injury issues for the prime of his career is one of my saddest football memories. I've adored him since his BVB days. He could have been a top class midfielder - scores goals with both well timed runs and good shooting technique, runs at defenders, presses well, and loves a slide tackle. When he plays, our attack is noticeably less static. He can win the ball in midfield and play a pass into space as quick as anyone around. Wilshere could learn quite a bit from him.

 

[Avatar]

I believe Rosicky will leave in the summer, unfortunately. At his age and with what he has to offer, he could go play for another five years as a starting player in Italy and he deserves that. One of the Milan sides or Roma would do well with him. I'd like to see him play for Montella at Fiorentina, personally. His persistent injury issues for the prime of his career is one of my saddest football memories. I've adored him since his BVB days. He could have been a top class midfielder - scores goals with both well timed runs and good shooting technique, runs at defenders, presses well, and loves a slide tackle. When he plays, our attack is noticeably less static. He can win the ball in midfield and play a pass into space as quick as anyone around. Wilshere could learn quite a bit from him.

He is one of the best players i've ever seen at Arsenal. I love everything about his game, the way he controls the tempo, the way he always adds flair (no look passes, that long raking pass with the outside of his boot, the way he plays one-touch and speeds up play). One of the best ever and such a shame with his injuries. That trio of Rosicky, Hleb and Fabregas was unreal at times.

 

[thespus]

Wenger recently said people would be thrilled if we'd bought him from France for £30m in the winter. I agree. He had the best combined tackling and interception stats in Europe in 2015. Since his introduction in the side, Arsenal were the form team in the league and had one of the better defensive records in Europe. Koscielny's fitness obviously was a major contributor to this. We don't need to focus on a Schneiderlin—our annual marquee purchase should be a CB or ST—but we could do with better competition than Flamini. Coquelin deserves to be a starting XI fixture at this point, and I'm not sure many upgrades are available.

 

[smat]

Would like another defensive midfielder, tbh, irrespective of Coquelin's good form. It's such an anomaly in the context of his career, seems inevitable that he'll regress to the mean soon. It's just a bit too good to be true. A bit of competition for him won't do anyone any harm and will give us a safety net if his form does tail off (or he fails a drugs test). Don't trust Arteta or Flamini anymore.

 

[thespus]

Would like another defensive midfielder, tbh, irrespective of Coquelin's good form. It's such an anomaly in the context of his career, seems inevitable that he'll regress to the mean soon. It's just a bit too good to be true. A bit of competition for him won't do anyone any harm and will give us a safety net if his form does tail off (or he fails a drugs test). Don't trust Arteta or Flamini anymore.

Certainly need another body as I share your beliefs re: Arteta and Flamini, but if we only make one marquee signing, I prefer it to be a striker or central defender. I think we can find a decent replacement-level player for £10m to challenge Coquelin. He is only 23, so it isn't out of question that he's finally received the confidence to take the next step. Alex Song had a similar career path before he retired in Barcelona, and he never had the consistent defensive performances we've seen from Coquelin. It's all hypothetical, though, as you are quite right in saying regression could be an inevitability. I just don't think a DM should be the main transfer target unless it's someone like Vidal. Morgan Schneiderlin is a good player. He's shone for Southampton, but will he be a Lallana or a Carrick when he takes the step up?