Arsène Wenger believes Francis Coquelin could be Arsenal’s long-term solution in defensive midfield, praising the Frenchman’s mental fortitude after clawing himself back into the first-team frame when he appeared to have no future at the north London club.
Coquelin was at risk of missing Premier League game at Queens Park Rangers following a clash of heads with team-mate Olivier Giroud during Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Everton. Coquelin broke his nose but continued playing until the 89th minute when he was involved in another collision.
However, the 23-year-old will be available against QPR – who are in the midst of a relegation battle under Chris Ramsey – and will wear a protective face mask should he feature at Loftus Road. He has made 15 appearances since being recalled from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic earlier in the season and has become an important part of the team.
Arsenal recovered from their wounding defeat to Monaco in the Champions League with victory over Everton. Wenger has targeted a total Premier League points tally of 72 to assure a top-four finish come May, and his side currently sit four points behind third-placed Manchester City, leading Manchester United by one point, Liverpool by three and Southampton by five.
Wenger’s critics have often voiced concerns about defensive weakness in the team, both in midfield and at the back, but Coquelin’s renaissance has been a remarkable story.
In Sir Alex Ferguson’s recent autobiography he was the subject of a withering put-down when the former Manchester United manager discussed the 8-2 defeat of Arsenal in 2011 – “he was completely out of his depth, I had hardly heard of him and he barely played again” – and even Wenger has been surprised at the French midfielder’s turnaround.
Coquelin shone in the 2-0 win at Manchester City earlier this season and, although the defeats to Tottenham and Monaco since then have been damaging, Wenger praised his compatriot for improving his game.
“It is a surprise to everybody,” said the Arsenal manager. The only thing I do is that I never say never to anybody. In my job you have to be open-minded like that. You have to make decisions at times. But never close the door completely for anybody.
“He knows it’s an opportunity for him. Sometimes when you wait for such a long time to get your chance and you get it, the more you have suffered before, the more you enjoy it. On that front I think he has gone through a lot of doubt questioning himself, certainly at many times being discouraged that he doesn’t get a chance. I think he analysed well what he is good at. Defending in midfield.
“He was a bit in between [being in] the playmaking position and a box-to-box player, he is not that – he’s a sitting player who can win the ball. He restricted his game to that and you make success in life with what you’re good at.”
Asked if he could be a long-term solution in defensive midfield, Wenger added: “Yes of course, like anybody else, of course. I will wait until the end of the season to see how well things go and where we are. He does the job well.
“He wasn’t happy when I called him back [from loan]. He played at Charlton and he thought I just called him back as cover. He expected in fact to play against QPR [on Boxing Day] and was not playing and was surprised when I played him against West Ham [on 28 December].”
Arsenal will again be without Mathieu Flamini at Loftus Road, while Jack Wilshere is not expected to return for the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on Monday.
Despite the worrying nature of their home defeat to Monaco in the first leg of their last-16 tie, Wenger is confident his side can qualify for next year’s Champions League by reaching the 72-point mark in the Premier League.
He said: “People have finished in the top four with 67 points, but if you look at this year, we have 51 points now.
“So it will be in the 70s. It is a tough run-in but it will be similar to last year. The best way is to look forward and go as fast as we can [to 70 points]. It will be down to consistency, because mathematically it is not impossibly for the guys behind us to catch us, but also for us to catch the teams that are in front of us.”