Arsenal Vs Sunderland: 5 Things We Learned

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4. Flamini is not an adequate replacement for Coquelin

At the start of the season, I noted how important it would be to keep Francis Coquelin fit for the whole season. The main reasoning for such an argument was based on the replacements that were available to Wenger if tragedy struck and Coquelin got injured for an extended period of time. Well, tragedy has struck, and it looks as though my pre-season musings may have been correct.

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Like Coquelin, Mathieu Flamini is a hard working, industrial defensive midfielder. Unlike Coquelin, he lacks any physical presence, does not cover enough ground and is positionally naive time and time again. While Arsenal got the much needed victory against a lowly Sunderland side, the performance was not of the quality expected. The Black Cats had plenty of opportunities on the break.

In fact, the result was a little harsh on the North-East club. They were able to create plenty of chances throughout the 90 minutes. With Coquelin in that role, there is little doubt that Arsenal’s back line would be much stronger than on Saturday. However, it looks as though Coquelin will be out until late January at the best. Without him, Flamini does not inspire confidence. And if Flamini goes down? God help us if we have to see Arteta.

Next: 5. The win is the most important thing