Think Coquelin deserves his own thread, I absolutely love this guy, he would run through brick walls for this team, he's a warrior.
His development has been outstanding and for me he's a mainstay in the team, he always delivers in the big games.
Love this clip of him celebrating at the Weekend, Legend!
https://streamable.com/tq7t
He’s such a key component to our midfield. Very cool under pressure, tough in the tackle and constantly working. I rate him highly.
He's matured very quickly, reads the game very well.
Lets just hope he stays fit.
I love the guy too. Its a worry how he only got into the team by 'mistake' isn't it?
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
It really is a mystery. I always thought the guy had the chops for the job but he was loaned out. I think Wenger's loyalty to certain players played a part. From what I remember, Coquelin wanted to play first team football and thought he was ready so Wenger loaned him out to Germany.
Have to say - he's amazed me. He's been excellent overall this year & starting to look confident amongst the others - almost like he now really believes that he deserves his place alongside players a few years ago he would have been nervous to talk to.
Could become world class in my opinion.
I agree completely with all the above, especially the bit about him staying fit which is vital.
This is the one area that must must be strengthened next season when Flamini and Arteta leave.
I still want Coquelin to play next season but we need a top class back up.
This is an absolute must.
Nah, not really - not for me anyway. I mean we did scout the lad and recruit him in the first place, we trained him, converted him to a defensive midfielder (I think he was a RB before?), sent him out on loan after loan when we could have just sold him years ago. Sure, when the opportunity finally came along for him (and for us, as it turns out), it probably owed more to circumstance than planning... but we did still bring him back, and that's worth remembering too. As much as I love the guy, even his biggest supporter would have to admit that he'd hardly set the world alight on his loan spells - I'm sure a lot of clubs and managers wouldn't have given him a second thought, and would have just reshuffled the pack until the missing players returned?Originally Posted by IBK
Anyway, let's not dwell on it too much - as it happens, Coq got his big break, and we got an awesome player, so everyone wins! Except for every other team in the league, of course...
Our players in general don't seem to have great loan spells. Gibbs, Bellerin, Coquelin all underwhelmed but fitted in perfectly here when they were given a chance. Sometimes it's being in the wrong place at the wrong time or being played in different positions, which seems to apply especially for Coq. But it can also be that super-talented players like Bellerin shine more with players of similar quality.
The Coquelin and Bellerin thing also makes me wonder why certain obviously gifted youngsters aren't just given more of a chance. Rather than turning to under-performing senior players and squaddies during bad spells, sometimes young players can give the team a lift, much like new signings often do. Gnabry is barely getting a kick a West Brom, but, two seasons ago, he fit in perfectly and played really well before the injury set him back. With Welbeck injured, it would be good to see what Iwobi can do in case we hit another attacking rut or Alexis/Walcott get injured too.
Oh, on topic: Coquelin, along with Monreal, has been our best player this year and has delivered at least 8/10 performances almost every week. He's improving small things like close control and his passing consistency too.
Good posts both. But I think IAI you forget what a cottage industry our loan players seem to be these days. It's as much of a percentages game as anything else, and there's a huge element of luck (usually other players' injuries) that gives players a chance with us. So well done Coq for siezing it with both hands!
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
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