The Curious Case Of Francis Coquelin… by Goonerboy
Hi Gooners, as we eagerly anticipate the arrival and confirmation of Lacazette, I thought of a little something to distract us from the anxiety…
I stumbled on a report revealing that Chelsea are close to capturing Bakayoko from Monaco and I was wishing Arsenal was his destination until I decided to go on a scouting mission on the Tube. While watching, I saw that he is a good player but not that special so I decided to do a comparison with Coquelin albeit not a stats comparison…
While watching, I kept on wondering what has gone wrong with Le Coq recently because I remember when he broke into the first team, his impact was so huge that he got plaudits from far and wide as he gave us exactly what we had been looking for…
However, since the absence of Cazorla, he has been lost in the wilderness, losing a bit of something. In fact, many of us think Cazorla’s absence is the major reason. But what if there is also a Wenger factor? Sometime last season, Wenger stated he wants Coquelin to play a box to box role which is something he really is not good at – although if you remember his game against Stoke, he played that role brilliantly…
For me, I believe he is a specialist in breaking up play and passing it quickly. If he is focused on defending alone, he has no rival in the squad and you will struggle to find anyone better than him in that aspect in the league. The offensive side of the game is his only weakness.
Apart from his abilty, I admire his passion and love for the club. But most fans now see Le Coq as a squad player at best. Some even want to get Bakayoko and it makes me remember a certain Kondogbia we all wanted once upon a time.
For me, Coquelin remains a vital part of our team even if we need a new CM, Coquelin still has a lot to offer us and because he doesn’t cost us money doesn’t take away his value…
What do you think?
Goonerboy