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Arsenal Problems Defined By Francis Coquelin Absence
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal were yet again without Francis Coquelin against Bournemouth and it was frustrating. Everything wrong with Arsenal can be summed up in his absence.
It is hard to imagine that someone could have made as big of an impact as Alexis Sanchez when he first arrived at Arsenal. The 2014/15 season was defined by the dynamic Chilean’s arrival and nobody else compared to his level of epic. And yet, sitting at the base of the midfield was Francis Coquelin.
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If anyone was to challenge Alexis as the hero for the 2014/15 season, it would be Le Coq.
With Arsenal desperate for some sort of enforcer at the base of the midfield, Wenger recalled Coquelin from Charlton Athletic. The result was a bit rigid at first. Coquelin had some serious yellow card accumulation. However, that dissipated in no time and, lo and behold, Arsenal had their very own defensive midfielder.
Statistically, he surpassed the crown prince of Premier League defensive midfielders, Nemanja Matic, and it was a wonder to behold. The tenacity with which he engaged the opponent, the timing of his tackles and his insane ability to stop an opposing player in the open field. It was truly remarkable what Arsenal had uncovered.
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As such, Wenger made no signing to reinforce him. Despite the fact that Coquelin was only one man, Wenger remained silent. He did buy Krystian Bielik in January, but he was a tad young.
Cue this year. Coquelin returned to action at the position that had so long been a void at Arsenal. Wenger had remained painfully silent all summer, making it clear that it was Coquelin and Coquelin alone that would be holding down that midfield. Come hell or high water, it was all him.
Well, hell came, and Coquelin got hurt.
With a return pegged for February, a winter signing made total sense and Wenger seemed to answer with Mohamed Elneny. Yet, Wenger has made it clear that Elneny is not a defensive midfielder. Which means, you guessed it, it is still Coquelin and Coquelin alone.
By that token, it is no wonder that frustration is running rampant that, after two games of being back from injury, Coquelin has not returned to the starting XI. All in spite of starting against Burnley in the FA Cup. With no prior report that he was not physically fit leading into the matchup with Bournemouth, it was shocking to see Flamini back out on the pitch. But he was.
It was then understood that Wenger was so cautious about Coquelin’s health that he saw fit to risk it again.
That right there is indicative of Arsenal’s painfully glaring problems. The team is so reliant on a couple people (Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin) that should injuries strike, the team is in serious trouble. The replacement is miles below the quality of that one man and it leaves Arsenal in a pickle.
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Coquelin has to play. But if Wenger plays him, he risks injury. It’s like buying a new pair of shoes. You want to wear them because they are comfortable and you look damn good in them. But the more you wear them the more they get scuffed and stained and discolored. So you don’t wear them. Well then what’s the point of even having them?
The only solution is to buy another pair of shoes. Yet Arsene Wenger refuses to do that. He likes his kicks.
It is a frustrating Catch 22. While Mathieu Flamini has been ‘okay’, he has been nothing more. He is not enough to stop an opposing attack and it was pretty clear by the way that Bournemouth looked in control for large portions of the game. He is reckless and does not have the quality or the composure to be gallivanting about the pitch on a weekly basis.
Yet, without proper reinforcement, I will be right there with Wenger, profusely sweating every time Coquelin takes the pitch. He is too valuable a commodity.
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Let’s hope that Coquelin is back for Leicester and that he never gets hurt ever again.