Francis Coquelin Haters Need to Back Down; He’s Deserving of His Arsenal Place

Every team has a scapegoat—a player fans single out when things go wrong. At Arsenal, it seems to be Francis Coquelin.

Whenever the Gunners falter, Coquelin’s shortcomings tends to be highlighted by the Gunners’ irritable fanbase. However, criticism of the defensive midfielder is unwarranted—he remains one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

It’s unclear why Coquelin has become such a lightning rod for criticism. Perhaps it’s because he’s not the most glamorous name on Arsenal’s books—having joined the club as a teenager, he arrived without the hefty price tag that can boost a player’s profile. He’s also not yet achieved international recognition. Despite being a regular with Arsenal’s first team for two years, he’s still awaiting his first call-up to the senior France squad.

The prejudice against him is also partially informed by his perceived lack of technique. Arsenal have a squad full of players who are easy on the eye. Next to the likes of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, Coquelin’s relative lack of ability on the ball is apparent. Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey seem more able alternatives when it comes to distributing the ball from deep.

However, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger clearly still considers Coquelin to be an essential part of his midfield setup. He has made 10 Premier League starts this season—a tally not one of Ramsey, Xhaka or Cazorla can better. 

When Hector Bellerin recently suffered to an ankle injury, Wenger was asked about the possibility of using Coquelin at right-back. The former Lorient loanee has played there in the past, but Wenger dismissed the idea. The Gunners coach told the team’s official site:

It goes through your mind [to play Francis at right back], but I don’t do it because I don’t feel he has the physiological profile of a full back – that is more on big accelerations, long-distance running and coming back. 

Francis is a guy who is very explosive on short distances. Every time I’ve played him at right back, he’s had muscular injuries. I think you have to get used to that kind of effort and he does not have that physiological profile to do this kind of job.

Coquelin’s stamina might be one issue—but it’s also the case that Wenger would be loath to displace him from a midfield that has grown reliant on his belligerent …

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