Is Coquelin the answer to Arsenal’s problems?
Can Coquelin save Arsenal’s season? by Twig
If there is one problem the current Arsenal team have it is an inability to score goals. Consistently. Personally, I feel that one of the reasons for this is our imbalanced midfield. Earlier in the season, as Wilshere made his recovery from injury, Arsenal fans drooled at the prospects of seeing Arteta, Cazorla and Wilshere in the same midfield. Many people understandably hoped it will give us our own version of Barcelona’s Xavi and Iniesta, sadly after about 5 games together, our midfield still doesn’t look up to scratch.
At the moment Cazorla and Arteta are suffering a serious dip in form. I feel Cazorla seems too absent from the game at times and too deep to make a telling impact in the final third. Fabregas used to dominate the midfield for us and our best plays went through him. I feel the current Arsenal team is missing such a player.
Meanwhile, recent games have made Gunners question whether Arteta as a defensive midfielder is a tactical blunder from Wenger. He has looked out of pace of recent which has seen mistakes to increasingly appear in his game. In the game against Everton, a penalty should probably have been given against us when Arteta shoved Steven Pienaar in our 18-yard box. The same thing happened against Fulham when Arteta brought Brian Luiz down, after dwelling too much on the ball in our danger area.
I believe, in the absence of Diaby, now is the time to bring Coquelin into the mix. Coquelin, unlike Arteta is a defensive midfielder by trade, and will help us add that bit of physicality that we missed since Diaby’s injury. The only problem with this is that Wenger might feel Coquelin is little bit inexperienced for such an important role in the team. However, Coquelin has generally played well whenever first team chances have come his way.
So what happens to Arteta? I believe Arteta should be shifted to his more natural position as an Attacking Midfielder, where the team can make best use of his passing technique and shooting accuracy. Cazorla, our ambidextrous midfielder, goes to the left wing in front of Gibbs. It won’t be a strange position for him, as he played as a winger for most of his career. Walcott completes our new-look midfield, taking his place on the right wing.
I still believe Wenger can turn this around. But he probably needs to change his tactics a bit and use his men in their more effective positions. I say, Good Luck to him!
Giroud
Cazorla Arteta Walcott
Wilshere Coquelin
Gibbs Vermalaen Mertasacker Sagna
Szczesny
Twig
Coquelin>Ramsey in every situation!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
63 
5
Yup He a Good Player And Have A Pace. But he To Reckless With His Passing and Tackle.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
17 
4
Coquelin is not big enough or strong enough.
Opinions divided. What do you think?
28 
24
That’s what I was thinking! After all, now is the time we NEED a change, so I think Francis might be a good solution. Have you ever see him play a REALLY bad game? But for now, let’s see what Wenger will do! ARSENAL4LIFE
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
29 
1
Nooow I know where our money from cesc, rvp, nasri, song, clichy went http://swns.com/news/arsenal-fc-owner-spends-80m-farm-28559/
FUUUUUU***** U KROENKE!!!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
12 
3
When le coq has come on he has always moved to a bit more attacking role and arteta still sitting back which I don’t understand…. I like le coq he has a great determination and doesn’t give up easily, like arteta but I do prefer a natural defence midfielder….
Rate this comment:
5 
0
no he isn’t he is not even a proper cdm it was proved against several teams in fact i don’t even know what is natural pos we need a cdm arteta & coquelin are not the answer someone like m’vila,capoue,lars bender,kevin strootman,victor waynama or zdravko kuzmanovic
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
24 
0
Coquelin,really,we need real dm a physical players lik capoue,m’vila,fellaini,wanyama etc 2 dominate mid nt a light weighted feather like coq don’t think he is even beta than arteta in that position,we arsenal fans are startin 2 settle 4 less,coq wouldn’t make it into utd,chelsea or city’s mid we need a general,thank u
Rate this comment:
5 
0
or offer everton coquelin + 10m for fellaini please
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
20 
7
Wenger is the man!!
Wenger has got the toughest job in the world. The task he has to deal with is clear, he has to finance the debt out of players sales and compete at the top level with managers who have mascelled with unlimited resources.
I just coudn’t find to name a single manager who i believe would deliver what Arsen Wenger has been doing with the limitted resource he has. put any of the best managers (Fergie,Mourino, Guardiola,…) in the world in Wenger’s shoe and see them delivering.
It’s just not fair moaning on Wenger every time we lose games. We have to look at facts. We have to ask ourselves that how much money Chelsea,Manu and ManCity are spending on new players every year? Are we expecting Wenger to pay for a player from his pocket? Comeon!
The Guy has to deal with such a limmited resources and he has been doing so amazingly. Please just don’t be carried away with what the media is saying about him.
He still is the man to lead us forward and it’s a blessing that we have him at our disposal when we need him most.
We are just two years away from the financial fair play comes to effect and we are just two years away from paying off our debts and We are history in the making with so bright future ahead.
Let’s be patient and be respectful to the man who has delivered alot to this club. We are at the end of our decade’s sacrifice.
Comeon true gooners stop booying!let’s stand behind our team, they definately needs our support.
In Arsen, We still Trust!!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
34 
7
wilshere, arteta and cazorla cant all play at the same time.
Not to mention all three looked poor last game.
It should be
—————–Giroud———————–
—Arshavin—Cazorla/Rosicky—-Walcott——
———————Arteta/Wilshere———-
————-Coquelin————————-
—Gibbs—Vermaelen—-Mertesacker—–Sagna-
—————–Sczesny———————-
Main subs:
Podolski for –> Giroud, or Arshavin
Chamberlain for –> Walcott or Arshavin
Koscielny for –> Vermaelen or Mertesacker
Jenkinson for –> Sagna
Cazorla/Rosicky/Arteta/Wilshere are all explanatory in the formation above
Everyone hates him but Ramsey has had some good games this season, he too can be rotated between the four midfielders stated above (Cazorla, Rosicky and co.)
What we need is a defensive midfielder as a sub for Coquelin, and perhaps another striker option
Rate this comment:
1 
6
coquelin has on several occasion shown alot of determinatio while playing that role than arteta despite the age .wenger shld give hm chance
Rate this comment:
2 
0
Dear Admin,
Oh how naive you were to state DM is Coquelins natural position.
Wenger has such a tendency to play players out of position that it has got so confusing as to where a players natural position was and what his strengths are. His team actually keep a spreadsheet as a joke just to monitor all the positions a player will end up playing.
But I digress. His natural position is as a striker as that is where he played initially before Wenger turned him into some kind of hybid zyborg that can play lb/cd/rb/dm and cm………basically all positions except the one that he joined as.
But the boss got to get his props for this discovery though.
Rate this comment:
2 
2
“At Arsenal last year, we could not believe you could watch football so quietly. We don’t want that.” a Dortmund fans on English football. get behind arsenal
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
18 
2
Arsenal team need change in his form and coquelin one of this changed he is best player , he need opportunity to show his ability and the midfielder need him , we hope wengar allow to him take your chance .
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Probable Arsenal lineup vs Olympiacos: Szczesny; Meade, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Jenkinson; Coquelin, Rosicky, Ox; Arshavin, Gervinho, Chamakh great squallaci starts
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
11 
1
Sad innit?
Rate this comment:
0 
1
Dear admin..
Would advice u write an article based on @US4arsenal’s comment..it has really changed my view at the issue currently at hand..i think we should stop dis “WENGER OUT”..phrase..and scream “EFFICENT USE OF AVAILABLE FUNDS”..give our best legs better contracts.
Rate this comment:
9 
1
Yes problem solved! Lets try another but younger midget in the midfield than we can just roll over the opposition!!!
Rate this comment:
4 
0
Arteta is just not good enough & without the legs to last a whole season. would love the idea of felliani-Coq swap. Mind yer, Coq is good but not at least a Darren Fletcher. One General needed together with Diaby, and we will be romping for 4-4-2 extravaganza. Wonder if Verm is steady enough & can play that role a good 10 games or so with Kosc at the back with BFG.
We can do it!! But splash some cash Arsene, swap the deadwood with 2-3 ooh-la-la faces and increase the wages cap…
Rate this comment:
3 
0
AW should loan him out for another season to a EPL team before he sold Song.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
I have said this many times in this forum and the article seems to highlight exactly that, Selling Song was a major miscalculation. I like Coquelin but he needs experience and he is not as physically imposing as the fella (Song)we let go for cheap. Between Arteta and Le Coq I see some resemblance of Denilson they are not physically imposing and Arteta lacks pace but I give it to him he reads the game well.Denilson lacked pace for a young player it suprised me especially after he had an injury (abdominal) but what he did well was tackle if only he had pace I would look at him. Our prayer should go to Diaby because unless Wenger replaces Song our hopes (saviour) lies with Diaby (scary thought)
Keep the Faith
Rate this comment:
2 
1
nah,with respect you’ve got it wrong,Cesc never used to dominate the midfield,maybe in his early years bt since flamini left we’ve been struggling in the defensive midfield position.Arteta needs to be dropped,he’s a great squad player but cant play DM and i wuldn’t put him in ahead of Cazorla or Wiltshere,we need some1 like fellaini to take his place
Rate this comment:
4 
0
An Coquelin,give him a run of games see if he’s good enough,he’s definitely more athletic than Arteta
Rate this comment:
1 
1
Haven’t been impressed with Coq’s performances this season and frankly, not sure if he will ever make the grade at Arsenal. Granted he’s got heart but still lacks the technique and composure to impose himself on the opposition as a DM. Perhaps a loan move will push his development instead of the cameos that Wenger has afforded him.
Rate this comment:
3 
0
Would it be a crazy idea to play TV5 as the defending midfielder?? He isn’t as good as Kos and the BFG so far this season, but he is brilliance, don’t think anyone can deny that. He seems to get pulled out of position alot lately, maybe a step into midfield might suit. Arteta isn’t up to the defending midfielder role, which unfortunately has taken all his confidence away due to being repeatedly played where he quite clearly is less effective and uncomfortable..There is always a gaping hole between midfield and defence..TV5 could fill the gap….
Rate this comment:
8 
0
What have we got to lose, we’re playing poorly. Arteta can’t play that role, I like coquelin. Switch it up for now and strengthen in January!
Rate this comment:
3 
0
No, and I don’t believe he ever will be for a team that should be contending for the title!
Rate this comment:
1 
0
He is ust a good squad player, a jack of all trades. The solutions may not be in the current squad, there isn’t enough quality there since we sell it all.
Rate this comment:
3 
0
I am surprised that the writer did not mention Ramsey. Ramsey is one of our key problems. He scares the hell out of his team mates and makes them look like crap. He loses the ball too often, is indecisive and almost always passes the ball side ways or backwards. That is not a mark of confidence and this affects his team mates. Ramsey is always one mistake away from gifting our opponent the ball and space to begin a counter attack. Look, when this team had Diaby, we looked solid. We played our best game against liverpool and that was a bloody tough game, even tougher than swansea. But as soon as Diaby got injured, that look of solidity evaporated. The so called Steve Bold effect vanished faster than you could say ‘gunner’. And here we are.
About coquelin, I believe that if he gets games, he will become sharper than Ramsey and add better balance to our midfield and defense. So if wenger can keep fielding Ramsey at our own expense, why not give coquelin a few games here and there? I am all for it. It is not like we stand to lose anything that we have not lost already. Coquelin can’t be worse than Ramsey. But he can be better than Ramsey with a few games under his belt.
Rate this comment:
3 
1
Maybe it time to shift things around abit. If i was named coach for tomorrow match i would try this team
—–Giroud-Walcott
——–Arteta
–Carzola —- Wilshere
–Conquelin-Vermalaen
Gibbs – Mertesacker- Sagna
———Szczesny
The extra man in the midfield and a close knit 3 man defense and yes Vermalaen and Coquelin making a pair up in the defensive mid area. Walcott gets into the two man striking role. Arteta in advanced position with Wilshere and Carzola in the less advanced roles in the midfieled area. Second half podolski comes for either Walcott or Giroud.
Rate this comment:
5 
2
Everytime wenger talked about resting players. I personally don’t even wanna hear that statement again. How can you talked about the same things everytime and don’t do something about it. If I look at arsenal bench, manone, jenkinson, arshavin, conquelin, ramsey, chamack, then there can be the forget players, eisfeld, gnabry and frimpong. Quality players. Real quality. That is the kind of players you can always rotate. Not I league cups, but the premier league aswell.
Rate this comment:
3 
1
In my opinion Arteta is just not right for Arsenal. He has great technique, reads the game well,is tough, but way too slow and short. With Arsenal playing with two wingbacks it is a must that we have two more pacy, tough, and tall DMF’ers(eg. Yaya, Vertoghen, Diame,Javi Martinez). They need these qualities so that they have the ability to get around, read aerial passes from the opposition, physically disrupt the play of the opposing AMF/ Playmaker, and hve the abilitiy to start our attack. They dont have to both play at the same time, but we do need the depth. We also need another centerbck that is pacy and likes to stay at home and defend. Vermaelen should be cover for Gibbs and we should use Coquelin as cover for Sagna. We obviously need another striker to keep Giroud and Poldi on their toes as well. Wenger shud also think of playing Arshavin in Santi’s role sometimes and pushing Santi out wide because Arshavin is NOT a WINGER. When this is done we could have the AMF’ers constantly rotate. This would be a nightmare for the opposing DMF’s. Also give Walcott plenty of chances at center forward. Gervinho should never play there before Theo. I dont think we need an overhaul but we do have to make more than a few changes.
Rate this comment:
0 
1
We still need a real beast as DM! Someone who you won’t get past easily, a Fellaini, Wanyama (who isn’t a natural Dm). There are plenty out there but we haven’t got 1. Come on Wenger get the steel back to cover back 4 who are weak compared to yester year! Our defence is brittle but, they can get better with Bould and some real muscle in front of them. We are also lacking a serious attacking playmaker who can set up Giroud, Podolski and Walcott. Hopefully we get a bonus come Jan and get DM. playmaker and seriously hot striker. Coem on surprise us Wenger, you have the money.
Rate this comment:
1 
0
If AW doesn’t sort it out our form is of that of a relegation candidate
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Yes i agree that Wenger has played several players out of their natural position, i also agree that Arteta is more effective in attacking than defensive,but i disagree that Coqeulin will solve the problem at the defensive midfield, first because of his inexperience and secondly because he has not proved to be better with the time he has played so far.For God sake we need combactive CDM with intimidating physical presence in the like of Viera or Toure, we are tired of these pint size players who runs out of gas before 90minutes.Briglia, Capoune or even M’Villa will be good addition.Is obvious that we miss RVP but the inability to replace Alex Song is is becoming our major undoing.I blame Wenger here for putting his eggs in the basket of Diaby,he simply refuse to buy because he once said ” the return of Diaby is like a new buy”, a player with notorious history of injury and poor recovery.He is almost becoming a vegetable in Arsenal but if we must always wait for his recovery,it must not be at the detriment of the club. I strongly recommend Wayama at Celtic to take that position. A striker, better,stronger faster and more clinical than Giroud is also needed and Arsenal is done.
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Why has coquelyn not been played as cover L.B he has played as full back before and i felt filled the role well. Be good opportunity to give him experience / keep him motivated and bring in a D.Mid to the club while he matures.He could get enough matches as cover L.B and D.M in certain matches.
Rate this comment:
1 
1
Coquelin need games and he will be the answer.
i dont think any player can be the answer by warming the bench…
let him play at least 30games and minimum 60minutes per game..and he will improved like Jenkinson…
Rate this comment:
1 
0
At the moment I think the best Arsenal team would be
Podolski Walcott
Cazorla/Arteta
Gervinho/Arshavin Chamberlain
Wilshere Vermalen/Kos
Gibbs Mertesacker Sagna
Szcesny
This way Walcott sign tha ting, Santi can rotate with Arteta. I am sure that with Poldi and Walcott upfront, goals gonna come. And a 3 men defence will be more compact and more solid, and helped by Vermalen playing as CDM
Rate this comment:
0 
2
Does this website decide what comments should get liked or disliked because almost every comment I click that I like, a tick appears but it does not register? Seems a bit fixed to me
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Striker: Pod, Reserve: Giroud, walcott
LM: Gervinho, Reserve: Gnabry
AM: Cazorla, Reserve: Rosicky, Eifeld
RM: OX, Reserve: (Zaha ??? Lopez????)
DM: Coquelin, Reserve: Frimpong, Diaby
CM: Wilshere, Reserve: Arteta, Ramsay
Attack and mid looks pretty strong and Pacey
Rate this comment:
0 
0
To be honest i think we should switch cazorla and wilshere round. In certain situations like swansea and the rest of the games we’ve failed to even score in. We should start coquelin. His and wilsheres desire to play direct football from the midfield could make the difference on so many levels.
Where cazorla and arteta play, they pass side to side. Theres nothing penertrating the opositions midfield. Where the likes of coquelin, wilshere and rosicky like to slice open defences.
This is why it worked so well last season. The variation of players who play direct football and the players who like to keep the ball, combined very well and we scored alot last season.
Really think about it.
How many times did you really see song linking up with the center players? and How many times did you really see arteta link up with the wingers? And which one was most penetrating?
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Coquelin is our answer for defensive midfield, move arteta up, and put Ramsey on the bench!!!!!!
Rate this comment:
0 
0