Question of the day: Is Coquelin the answer ?

Is Coquelin the answer? Poll

Firstly, there has to be a question and that is probably – Is Coquelin the natural replacement for Arteta and/or Flamini?
I have said from when Mr Wenger re-signed Flamini that he wasn’t good enough to take The Arsenal to the title or the CL Final and these must be our targets. Nor is Arteta. Both fine players and experienced pro’s who have served the club with honour and pride but quite frankly they are both limited. We need better.
Coquelin has been a revelation – most interceptions, most tackles etc etc in his short run of games and importantly he appears to be tactically disciplined. Plus he seems to be a pitch leader, unafraid to guide the players around him through the game. His tackling is strong and he seems to have eradicated his tendency to jump into tackles. – less yellows per game than Flamini or Chambers.
However …. is he good enough? I mean can he be world-class? Can he be Ozil, Alexis, Koscielny class?
Any really great side has a world class spine – think Lehmann, Campbell, Vieira, Henry  or Seaman, Adams, Vieira, Wright. What do they have in common? Yes, even you can see it is PV4, and it is Patrick who must be the benchmark for the future Arsenal lynchpin. Can Coq be that good? You tell me, but I have serious doubts.
Doubts are not certainties and Coquelin has the perfect opportunity to cement his place in the Arsenal team. It would be marvellous if a lad who just 3 months ago looked Burnley quality can improve the team, it would be proof that hard work allied to ambition can overcome prejudice.
I wish him well but would like Mr Wenger to be saving his money for another transfer raid on Southampton or even better to spend huge and sign Pogba. We need a central player to build the team around and we haven’t had one since Gilberto.

Is Coquelin the Man?

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Bossy Coquelin Not Afraid To Take Charge

A criticism that has been often levelled at Arsenal is that we have a lack
of leaders within the squad. It has been said of Arsene Wenger`s team since Patrick Vieira took over the captain`s armband.




Read  more: http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=550477#ixzz3RYX1scgj

Coquelin in action

However the emergence of Francis Coquelin has brought with it not only a very competent defensive midfielder but also a more vocal element to our squad as the young Frenchman says he`s not afraid to don his bossy boots and shout at even the most experienced players who might not be pulling their weight.

He claims it`s something he`s more than happy to do. "If it needs to be said, I`m the one saying it. Everyone can tell everyone off so that`s a good thing."

"Everyone`s fighting for each other and the team spirit is good so everyone can say what they think."

"With every player we`ve got going forward, you need someone with a defensive mindset as well."

"If I can give the team a good balance - because we`ve got quite a few players going forward - hopefully we can get back to keeping more clean sheets soon."

Read more: http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=550477#ixzz3RYX6buae

Why no-one should write off Arsenal just yet

Despite losing at White Hart Lane on Saturday the Gunners stand to benefit from an easing injury crisis and a more favourable set of fixtures in the run-in


The only thing more remarkable than Harry Kane adorning a fairytale season with two decisive goals againstArsenal on Saturday was Arsene Wenger’s post-match admission that his side had been “dominated” in midfield by Tottenham.

In truth, to argue anything else would have been delusion. Spurs enjoyed 56 per cent possession over the 90 minutes and unleashed 23 shots at their bitter rivals who, perhaps too enamoured by the discipline that yielded a stunning away win over Manchester City earlier this month, simply sat back and waited for the fightback to arrive after Mesut Ozil’s classy first-half opener.

Three deserved points saw Tottenham leapfrog Arsenal in the race for fourth with 14 Premier League matches to go, but Wenger would not allow candour on his team’s performance to be mistaken for defeatism in the race for Champions League qualification. “It’s time to recover from that disappointment and prepare for the next game now,” the Frenchman insisted. "It will be a battle until the end. It has been every year with Spurs.”

It is also a battle that, despite the evidence of Saturday at White Hart Lane, Wenger will be confident of winning. He has never finished outside the Premier League’s top four and never finished below Tottenham in 18 seasons with the Gunners, even if recent tussles between the clubs have been closer than most.


Arsenal's Next 4 PL Fixtures
Crystal Palace(A)   FEB 10
Everton           (H)   FEB 21
QPR                (A)    MAR 1
West Ham      (H)    MAR 14

Twice in the past three campaigns Arsenal have trailed Spurs with 24 Premier League games played, and on each occasion Wenger’s men have clicked through the gears in the home stretch to break their rivals’ hearts.

In 2011-12 they rattled off seven wins from eight matches between late February and mid-April to seize third and leave Harry Redknapp’s faltering men vulnerable to Chelsea’s miraculous Champions League triumph in Munich, while the following season they followed defeat at White Hart Lane with eight wins and two draws from their final 10 matches to overturn a four-point deficit and edge fourth on the final day.

On both occasions Tottenham were complicit in their own demise, and there is plenty of cause to suggest that Mauricio Pochettino’s current crop are made of sterner stuff. No team has won more points from losing positions (15) or points with goals in the final five minutes (12) this season. Christian Eriksen is maturing into one of the Premier League’s most consistent match-winners and Kane is operating at a level few other strikers in the world can currently match.

Yet Arsenal remain within striking distance despite weathering a trademark winter injury crisis that slowly appears to be easing. Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott are once again fit and firing in attack, Francis Coquelin is showing tentative signs of being a viable solution to Wenger’s long-standing problem at the base of midfield and January signing Gabriel Paulista is a long-overdue quality alternative to the settled defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.

Most importantly of all, Wenger will imminently be able to field Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the same team. The German’s injury problems have ensured Arsenal’s two most expensive ever signings have played over an hour together just four times since the livewire Chilean arrived from Barcelona in the summer – a sample size too small to reliably tell us how both of these supreme talents will be incorporated into the Gunners’ frighteningly creative attack.

Ozil has hit the ground running since his return, scoring in three successive matches for the first time in his career, while Alexis has wasted no time in establishing himself as a firm fan favourite with his tireless work rate and keen eye for goal. On paper the skill sets of the two men appear to complement each other perfectly.

On the pitch they should have ample opportunity to improve their chemistry. Eight of Arsenal’s final 14 matches are at home and while Chelsea and Liverpool still have to come to the Emirates Stadium, Newcastle and Manchester United are the only obviously daunting away trips left.

Tottenham's Next 4 PL Fixtures
West Ham (H)      FEB 22
Swansea     (H)      MAR 4
QPR           (A)      MAR 7
Man UTD  (A)      MAR 15


Tottenham, in contrast, play eight of their final 14 games on the road, facing top-four rivals Liverpool, United and Southampton as well as negotiating tricky assignments against Newcastle and Everton. Title-chasing City also visit White Hart Lane, a stadium where they have run out 5-1 winners in two of the past three seasons. It is a fixture list that will demand every drop of newfound resilience from a squad that has already battled through 40 games in all competitions.

The wider landscape of the top-four race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Just six points separate surprise package Southampton in third from a steadily resurgent Liverpool in seventh, while immediately above the two north London giants are a United who, despite a hugely talented squad assembled at historic expense, remain a disjointed mess.

Three more months and 14 more matches will no doubt see fortunes ebb and flow in all directions. But while Tottenham won a significant skirmish at White Hart Lane on Saturday, Arsenal are still well placed to win the battle.

Mourinho blasts FA double standards yet again

The Chelsea manager is frustrated to see rival boss Nigel Pearson go unpunished for a tangle with James McArthur as he hints that he is singled out for harsh treatment

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes he would be hit with a stadium ban if he were involved in the kind of touchline scrap that saw Nigel Pearson appear to choke James McArthur.

The Leicester City boss escaped punishment for a bizarre tangle with the Crystal Palace midfielder and subsequently clung onto his job despite reports of his sacking at the King Power Stadium following Saturday's game.

Mourinho is no stranger to a touchline scuffle and clashed with Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.

The Blues manager has courted controversy for much of the season with repeated claims of a "campaign" against his side perpetuated by the Football Association. A £25,000 fine has seemingly done little to quell the Portuguese's frustration, however, as he once again took aim at the authorities when asked for his thoughts on Pearson's indiscretions.

"I have only thoughts about myself, not about Nigel," he told the press before referring to his spat with Wenger. "If I push a manager in my technical area, you know that I will be stadium-banned. We all know. Why? We don't know.

"You can't say we don't know why but I think we all know that, if I do something like that, I would be in serious, serious trouble."

Mourinho could be set for further punishment after suggesting thhat Robin van Persie should have been retrospectively punished for throwing an elbow at West Ham's James Tomkins on Sunday - an incident not deemed worthy of on-field action by referee Mark Clattenburg, or post-match by the FA.

Despite having already been hit in the pocket over his comments this term, the Chelsea boss suggested that he will not look to curb his outbursts when facing the media.

He explained: "I can be very defensive and say nothing or I can be myself and say what I feel and then there is a line where you never know the way [the FA] analyse it and they think you can or can't say that.

"Press conferences, especially after matches, are very, very difficult for us."

Mourinho: The Special one, The Only one or The Trouble one 

'I was shivering before facing Messi'

Antonio Rukavina

EXCLUSIVE: Villarreal defender Antonio Rukavina who will do battle with the Argentine on Wednesday and has recalled his nerves ahead of their first battle

Footballers aren't usually forthcoming in revealing their weaknesses before heading into battle, but Villarreal defender Antonio Rukavina says he was "shivering and sweating" before facing Lionel Messi for the first time.
The two players will come up against one another again on Wednesday evening when the Yellow Submarine travel to Camp to take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, with the Serbian confident he has overcome his earlier nerves.
Rukavina told Goal: "Nervous? Only ahead of my first game against Messi and Real Madrid. I was so nervous my hands were sweating and my body was shivering. Since then, every other match is just another special challenge for me."
Villarreal head into the game as the underdogs against a Barcelona side enjoying a rich vein of form that continued with a 5-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday which cut the gap between the club and La Liga leaders Real Madrid to just a point.
But Marcelino Toral's men have enjoyed a positive campaign of their own and sit sixth in the table, and Rukavina believes the fact he and his team-mates are already being written off could ultimately work in their favour.
"Betting, fans, media, experts... they all say Barca is going to win, everyone says that except us," the 31-year-old continued.
"We see our chance in second leg and today we could even lose by one goal. Last year Barcelona beat us twice, but not easily. Our style of play doesn't suit them! And I am not the only one with that opinion. Every time we played them, we were very close, today might be the day we get reward for all those previous matches.
"Of course you can't attack them, you saw what happened to Athletic on Sunday when they tried it. We just have to be patient. We have to defend great and punish them with contra-attacks. Barcelona are very dominant at Nou Camp and the field is as big as an aeroplane runway, but playing away they are not that dominant."

Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao contest the other semi-final, with the winners of the two last four ties facing one another in the final on May 30.

Arsenal Champions League squad: Gabriel, Giroud and Coquelin Included

Arsenal have submitted their update squad of eligible players for the Champions League knockout stages, with new signing Gabriel added to the list.

Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin, who wewre omitted from the previous squad, have been reinstated and are eligible to face Monaco.
Krystian Bielik, who arrived from Legia Warsaw, has been left out as clubs are only permitted to make three alterations to their squad at this stage.


Arsenal Champions League squad:

A List                                                                                                    

1. Wojciech Szczesny                                    
2. Mathieu Debuchy                        
3. Kieran Gibbs                                                
4. Per Mertesacker                                                
5. Gabriel Paulista                                                
6. Laurent Koscienly                                            
7. Tomas Rosicky                                                  
8. Mikel Arteta

10. Jack Wilshere                                                  
11. Mesut Ozil                                                      
12. Olivier Giroud                                                
13. David Ospina                                              
14. Theo walcott                                                    
16. Aaron Ramsey                                                
17. Alexis Sanchez
18. Nacho Monreal
19. Santi Cazorla
20. Mathieu Flamini
21. Calum Chambers
23. Danny Welbeck
24. Abou Diaby
26. Emiliano Martinez
34. Francis Coquelin
35. Gedion Zelalem


B List

15. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
27. Serge Gnabry
38. Chuba Akpom
39. Hectot Bellerin
42. Isaec Hayden
43. Ryan Huddart
44. Deyan Iliev
45. Alex Iwobi
47. Glen Kamara
52. Tafari Moore
54. Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill
64. George Dobson
70. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
73. Stefan O'Connor

Tottenham Star Harry Kane Defends Picture Of Him Wearing An Arsenal Top

Harry Kane has put pen to paper and signed a new deal at Tottenham, a contract which will tie him to the club until 2020.

It’s no great surprise that Spurs have moved to extend his stay at White Hart Lane, especially given the hot patch of form Kane is currently enjoying.

The Englishman has scored 20 goals already this season, making him an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

But long before the striker was on Spurs books, he had a short spell at north London rivals Arsenal as an 11-year-old, a fact Gunners fans have enjoyed on social media by sharing a picture of a young Kane wearing their kit.

And now that Kane has signed his new contract, he has taken the opportunity to address the controversial snap:

Tottenham Hotspur        ✔ @SpursOfficial

Follow

Spurs TV: @hkane28 on a new contract & the ‘special feeling’ of hearing his name sung at WHL - http://spurs.to/KaneOnContract 

1:23 PM - 2 Feb 2015

Five Star Gunners*****/Arsenal

Watch the Highlights

The win over Manchester City has certainly been Arsenals best team performance of the season. The team worked as a unit, conceded possession as part of an actual game plan but were clinical with their limited chances.The press as usual tried to paint the victory, giving reasons, excuses and some praising the team for the effort and the coaching staff for respecting their opponent with their tactics.

On this occasion, against Aston Villa it seams the team is really proving pundits wrong. It was certainly a better measure than the scoreline, which failed to reflect a Mesut Ozil strike wrongly ruled out for offside in the build-up and two more occasions when Arsenal were unlucky to hit the woodwork rather than add to their tally.
With Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil back in the mix, Arsenal's attack constantly stretched their back line.

All in all it was the type of performance Arsenal fans  wants to see at the Emirate against a lower opposition for. A proper old fashioned thrashing.
See the performance of the 5*****star Gunners. How the 5 star gunners destroyed the Villans

Players Ratings

Ospina – 7
He was solid today. He was rarely challenged but kept his concentration and his distribution was decent.

Bellerin – 8
A very good game by the young Spaniard. He was composed on the ball and was defensively solid. He took his goal very well as well with a cool side foot outside the box.

Mertesacker – 8
Composed performance by the captain. Never looked in trouble at all.

Koscielny – 7.5
Similar to Mertesacker but there were moments where he tried to dribble out of our own box when defending and was dispossessed by Villa.

Monreal – 8
Another quality performance by Nacho. He was defensively strong and added a lot to our offence with his overlap and passing.

Coquelin – 8
He was extremely solid in the middle. Won plenty of tackles and his passing was good enough to aid us on the counter attack.

Ramsey – 6
Lost the ball a lot for me, especially in the second half. He’s just come back from injury and is clearly lacking sharpness.

Walcott – 7
Although he scored a very nice goal, he didn’t get involved enough in the play for me. There were opportunities for him to really hurt Villa but he never made the right choice.

Cazorla – 8
His consistency since the beginning of December has been outstanding. He is just the perfect midfielder at the moment. He presses, he can turn extremely quickly, he can dribble, he can pass, he can score and so on.

Özil – 8.5 (MOTM)
He was brilliant today. His passing was superb and he hurt Villa constantly with his runs from the left. His assist for Giroud’s goal was class and he took his goal extremely well. It’s good to have him back.

Giroud – 7.5
Overall, it was a good striker performance. He scored early on (although he almost lost control of the ball) and he applied a lot of pressure to Villa’s back line. They tried to play a high line against him and failed.

Subs:
Rosicky – 7
He added a bit of zip and that allowed us to really hurt Villa. He turns so quickly which allows us to counter effectively.

Akpom – 6
Decent appearance for him. Won the penalty and did use his pace effectively on the counter. A lot of refinement needed but promising stuff.

Flamini – N/A
Came on late and didn’t really have enough to do for a rating.