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Is Francis Coquelin Stopping Arsenal from Becoming Title Contenders?
At the beginning of December 2014, Arsenal were in patchy Premier League form. They had lost three of their last five, their two wins both being narrow 1-0 wins against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton.
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Arsene Wenger’s squad looked fatigued with their crowded schedule, and while they were winning games in the Champions League, they looked to be another squad who was simply not strong enough to even compete with teams like Chelsea.
One of the main problems highlighted by fans and pundits alike was the lack of a midfielder who stayed back during attacks and focused on defense. Wenger could not bring any new players in, and so he turned to a new face – Charlton Athletic loanee Francis Coquelin.
Coquelin made a rough start in December, but the new year brought about a change of form for the Frenchman. While Arsenal lost their first match of 2015 2-0 against The Saints, Coquelin had a fine game.
The limelight really shone on him against Manchester City, when the Gunners recorded a crucial 2-0 win in which he was instrumental. Throughout the entire winter period Francis Coquelin was a mainstay in the Arsenal side, and he was consistently playing well. Arsenal only lost three games in the second half of the season, however Francis Coquelin was not at fault for those losses – there were other mistakes made in games like the North London Derby loss at White Hart Lane.
Since Francis Coquelin’s breakthrough into the first eleven there has been a split opinion as to whether he is really the solution to Arsenal’s problem. Some said that he was – others doubted his ability to continue his good form through the long-term. Either way, it seems a foolish decision on Wenger’s part to rest on his laurels already – if keeping Coquelin as the first-choice DM is his idea, having Mathieu Flamini as backup seems a foolish decision.
Grzegorz Krychowiak is the latest player to be rumored with a switch to the Emirates after reports emerged that the Gunners were preparing a bid upwards of twenty million pounds for the Polish destroyer. Krychowiak started 28 games in defensive midfield for Sevilla, averaging a 7.38 on whoscored.com. Across all competitions he won 71% of his aerial duels and 68% of his take-ons (per Squawka), which is a dominating record for a defensive midfielder.
Francis Coquelin won 72% of his tackles across 22 appearances in the Premier League, five percent better than Krychowiak’s record in La Liga – which arguably boasts less physical attackers for the Pole to be battling with.
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While Coquelin might be better on the ground, Krychowiak is an aerial presence, winning eight percent more of his aerial duels, as well as being eight centimeters taller. They are both strong players in defense, but Krychowiak is bigger. He weighs 11 more kg than Coquelin, and while Coquelin is strong in the tackle, Krychowiak is a physical presence similar to Nemanja Matic – simply intimidating to look at.
IF Arsene Wenger is serious in his bid to sign Grzegorz Krychowiak from Sevilla – which could cost upwards of that 20 million pound mark – he will not be a vast improvement to Coquelin, but an alternate style of defensive midfielder.
That being said, it is arguably a much more needed signing than another striker for example, referring back to the rumors surrounding Arsenal and Karim Benzema.
On the one hand, Wenger is not signing a striker because he believes Giroud, Welbeck, and Walcott can do the job as their current strikers. However, there is a difference between belief in your current talent and failure to see that reinforcements need to be made. If Krychowiak is there for the taking – reports indicate there is a 22.5 million pound release clause in his contract – Wenger should spend the money: Arsenal need it.
(All statistics are per whoscored.com and Squawka.com)
Next: Arsenal's Predicted Starters against Crystal Palace