Francis Coquelin: No Longer Needed?

[Gooner n Proud]

And even if Cazorla is fit, he can only function in midfield next to Coquelin. The balance in the team is so ****ing fragile. We are so dependent on individual players making it all work rather than the system, it's not even funny anymore.

Then its Wengers responsibility to alter the system when certain players are injured but he doesn't and thats my main frustration with the man. I see what he's trying to do in involving all the players in his style of play until they fully get it but that could cost us progressing in the short term.

 

[Trilly]

What do you mean Trilly ?we controlled plenty of games this season and last with that partnership . Coq is not worse than Ramsey in posession I know that .

By control I mean really just hold the ball and see a game out with little stress. Even with the Coq-Cazorla partnership they could be overrun by simply running harder than them.

It's one of the reasons we could be winning a game comfortably yet end with a nervy final ten minutes. You can't expect Caz to control the game single-handedly and Coquelin for whatever reasons (maybe tactical) doesn't show for the ball as well as he could when we have the ball.

I agree with your last sentence, pretty much anyone bar Flamini is better than Ramsey in possession.

 

[Gooner n Proud]

Whatever you think of Cazorla he is our best CM and that partnership with Coq and Ramsey right works . Who else do we play in there this season Ramsey ? give me a break ,we look slow and ponderous with him on the ball .

Celestis did you recieve my pm?

 

[celestis]

Celestis did you recieve my pm?

No mate ?not showing up .

 

[Gooner n Proud]

No mate ?not showing up .

Ok I'll send agaim

 

[celestis]

By control I mean really just hold the ball and see a game out with little stress. Even with the Coq-Cazorla partnership they could be overrun by simply running harder than them.

It's one of the reasons we could be winning a game comfortably yet end with a nervy final ten minutes. You can't expect Caz to control the game single-handedly and Coquelin for whatever reasons (maybe tactical) doesn't show for the ball as well as he could when we have the ball.

I agree with your last sentence, pretty much anyone bar Flamini is better than Ramsey in possession.

Yeah I agree we could hold onto the ball better than we do .
As for he knows how to play with Ramsey meaning Aaron drifts further away , whereas Coq and Caz used to play like they have a string attached at times meaning they play close together . That includes when Özil , Caz and Sanchez and Ramsey intechange there's a pattern and he mops up their mistakes . Ramsey in the middle ****s off up the field .

 

[MutableEarth]

What do you mean Trilly ?we controlled plenty of games this season and last with that partnership . Coq is not worse than Ramsey in posession I know that .

Control probably isn't the word I would use to describe the Coq-Santi axis in midfield. They were functional IMO, and they were central to a lot of our bigger victories of late. A lot of that was due to the positioning and game-tactics of Wenger using Ramsey on the right to tuck in the half space between RW and CM. They were really good in those games but there were games of less significance which betrayed their weaknesses as a pairing - particularly the Monaco game and the Sp**s game at the Lane when Kane won the match.

Any control the twosome managed to gain was off the ball rather than on it. Coq marked space very well and Cazorla was never too far away. Their dribbling helped beat the occasional press, but against physically dominant pressing sides, they felt the pain.

Wenger IMO needs to go full hog and just go to a 3 man midfield. He doesn't want to do it while he still has Özil, which I understand, but 4-2-3-1 is f*cking stale for us and we don't have all the personnel we need to execute that along with our overall tactical setup together. He might as well go to a 4-4-2 diamond. That's the best use of the team. Coq's distribution from deep would probably be the only sore point in that formation but it would get the best out of everyone else.

 

[celestis]

Control probably isn't the word I would use to describe the Coq-Santi axis in midfield. They were functional IMO, and they were central to a lot of our bigger victories of late. A lot of that was due to the positioning and game-tactics of Wenger using Ramsey on the right to tuck in the half space between RW and CM. They were really good in those games but there were games of less significance which betrayed their weaknesses as a pairing - particularly the Monaco game and the Sp**s game at the Lane when Kane won the match.

Any control the twosome managed to gain was off the ball rather than on it. Coq marked space very well and Cazorla was never too far away. Their dribbling helped beat the occasional press, but against physically dominant pressing sides, they felt the pain.

Wenger IMO needs to go full hog and just go to a 3 man midfield. He doesn't want to do it while he still has Özil, which I understand, but 4-2-3-1 is f*cking stale for us and we don't have all the personnel we need to execute that along with our overall tactical setup together. He might as well go to a 4-4-2 diamond. That's the best use of the team. Coq's distribution from deep would probably be the only sore point in that formation but it would get the best out of everyone else.

To me the reason we were dominated at the lane had a lot to do with fatigue and also it takes more than two to control possession and we had weak links in that area including Wele who kept losing the ball .

 

[Coolin]

Wasn't he the player our season hinged on not too long ago? Now he's not good enough because he can't tackle, intercept, beat his man, ping it 60 yards and dink the keeper?

 

[infinium]

It is interesting that Alexis, Coq, Walcott and Bellerin have come back from their mid-season injuries and not really been the same.

 

[Clrnc]

I am not worried by Coq's form currently. He is poor at the moment but he was more than decent before his injury. He still lack a bit of sharpness but that is really down to him being partnered with a flawed player.

 

[Maxim]

Control probably isn't the word I would use to describe the Coq-Santi axis in midfield. They were functional IMO, and they were central to a lot of our bigger victories of late. A lot of that was due to the positioning and game-tactics of Wenger using Ramsey on the right to tuck in the half space between RW and CM. They were really good in those games but there were games of less significance which betrayed their weaknesses as a pairing - particularly the Monaco game and the Sp**s game at the Lane when Kane won the match.

Any control the twosome managed to gain was off the ball rather than on it. Coq marked space very well and Cazorla was never too far away. Their dribbling helped beat the occasional press, but against physically dominant pressing sides, they felt the pain.

Wenger IMO needs to go full hog and just go to a 3 man midfield. He doesn't want to do it while he still has Özil, which I understand, but 4-2-3-1 is f*cking stale for us and we don't have all the personnel we need to execute that along with our overall tactical setup together. He might as well go to a 4-4-2 diamond. That's the best use of the team. Coq's distribution from deep would probably be the only sore point in that formation but it would get the best out of everyone else.

Spot on, lots of people craving Santi back are forgetting it only really worked with Ramsey wide supporting.

I completely agree, this formation is not getting anything close to the best it can for the squad. We play two wingers without actually having a good winger in the entire squad FFS. It's time for a change.

 

[celestis]

Spot on, lots of people craving Santi back are forgetting it only really worked with Ramsey wide supporting.

I completely agree, this formation is not getting anything close to the best it can for the squad. We play two wingers without actually having a good winger in the entire squad FFS. It's time for a change.

I totally agree , that's why I think Ramsey is extremely important for us .

 

[Trilly]

Changing formation is huge though, think you have to leave that till pre-season.

4-2-3-1 can still work for us. One good winger and CM and we are set. There's a few CM's out there who could actually be an ideal partner for all our midfield options.

Rabiot for example has the skills to be able to partner all our midfielders, and he's still a developing player. Santi and Coquelin have their shortcomings but they do their job well, it's Ramsey I'm worried about.

 

[Penn_]

Starting to have doubts about the Coq-Wilshere partnership, on paper it looked great but if Wilshere’s having to bring the ball forward every single time then it won’t be long before he is back on the table.

 

[jarsenal_man]

It's useless talking about particular players. A culture of mediocrity has seeped into the club that's just as toxic as the culture Mou brought into Chels. It's something of a revelation for me personally, but it was there for all to see yesterday. It makes me worried for the future, as I think the club, through being satisfied with not winning for 10 years, lost a certain intensity if you will, in regards to title winning. I think it's hard to bring that back, and I think from top to bottom, you can still see the after-effects of this period. I know the period was necessary, but at the moment this club reeks of entitlement, arrogance, and undeserved superiority... that we're almost above winning the title and think it'll just happen.

In fact, I think an explanation for why so many top English clubs are failing is because of the overall culture that is seeping into top clubs at this country. By prioritising the marketing/business side, more focussed on Snapchat strategy, Twitter q&as, and partnerships with Citreon, clubs have actually forgotten that they're not here to make money for the sake of it, to make their brand global, and connect with the nougties generation, but rather, they're here to actually win. Winning has almost become an after thought to the club, in every area, from top to bottom. It's depressing.

 

[OG J0E]

Part of the problem, besides a lack of quality, is having a 2 instead of a 3. Our last midfield that actually defended okay was Arteta-Song-Rosicky in 11/12.

The problem was that it offered so little going forward and we were so reliant on van Persie making good whatever **** he was given that after he left we went to a 4-2-3-1 with a dedicated CAM and now the midfield can't defend properly.

 

[Mitch]

Coquelin performance tonight was one of the few positives. Coquelin made 8 tackles, 7 interceptions and 2 blocks.

 

[Penn_]

Would of been another 4-0 thrashing if not for him, best player next to Campbell.

 

[Coolin]

To think people were slagging him off this week. He's more than good enough to start for us. We don't need a "ball player" instead of him. We need a ball player next to him.

Excellent performance today. Played with fire in his belly.