He may not have been able to help Arsenal win at White Hart Lane yesterday or even to avoid the heavy pressure applied by the Tottenham team from eventually ending up in defeat, but Francis Coquelin at least tried his best.
It was not the young Frenchman´s best game since he returned to Arsenal from his loan spell with Charlton, but it was not a bad performance from him either and he was certainly not helped much by those around him. And despite Coquelin making eight interceptions, two clearances and having the best passing figures of our midfield three, he could not stem the tide.
But it was yet more proof that Coquelin is the real deal and is set to be a key player for Arsenal in the years to come. His team mates certainly seem to think so. The player who operates closest to Coquelin and perhaps has the most to gain from his good form is Aaron Ramsey and the Welshman explained in an Arsenal.com report why.
Ramsey said, “He’s very solid defensively, wins the ball back and gives it to other players to start off attacks. He’s done really well, I’ve been really impressed by the way he’s been playing and he’s earned this credit he’s getting at the moment.
“I have that insurance now where I know he’s going to be sitting in front of the back four so it allows me to get forward whenever I want. I try to get back in as much as I can and as quickly as I can.”
Unfortunately Ramsey had a bit of a stinker against the spuds and did not utilise what Coquelin offers him but he usually will. And the same goes for when someone else takes the box-to-box role. We sometimes worry that Wilshere, Rosicky or Chamberlain are a bit too attack minded but with Coquelin as an insurance policy, perhaps Arsenal can start to use them more often. What do you think?