Francis Coquelin
Francis proved himself to be the epitome of the modern, multi-positional footballer last season with a series of fine displays wherever he was deployed.
ominally a defensive midfielder, the France Under-21 international was called into action at both right and left back during the height of the Club’s full-back injury crisis and performed admirably.
Francis Coquelin Profile |
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| Born |
May 13, 1991
Laval, France |
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| Position: |
Midfielder |
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| Squad Number: |
22 |
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| Previous Club(s) |
Lorient (loan) |
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| Arsenal Debut |
September 23, 2008 |
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Having spent the previous campaign on loan at Ligue 1 side Lorient, Francis returned to Emirates Stadium with a burgeoning reputation and soon forced his way into the first team. After making his Premier League debut in the heavy defeat at Old Trafford, the Frenchman really caught the eye with a superb performance in the north London derby against Tottenham in October.
As the campaign progressed, Francis became an even more regular name on the teamsheet and he will be looking to continue his exciting development this season.
Francis joined the Club as a 17-year-old in 2008, and was part of the squad that won the FA Youth Cup the following year. By 2010 he started to attract attention following some impressive performances in France’s European Under-19 Championship victory, and he has now made the step up into Arsenal’s first team. The future is bright for this young midfielder.
Francis Coquelin's Arsenal Career
|
| |
Prem Lge |
Europe |
FA Cup |
Lge Cup |
Total |
| Season |
Apps |
Goals |
Apps |
Goals |
Apps |
Goals |
Apps |
Goals |
Apps |
Goals |
| 2008-2009 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 + 1 |
0 |
0 + 1 |
0 |
| 2009-2010 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 + 1 |
0 |
2 + 1 |
0 |
| 2011-2012 |
6 + 4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
13 + 4 |
0 |
| 2012-2013 |
3 + 8 |
0 |
3 + 3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
11 + 11 |
0 |
| Total |
9 + 12 |
0 |
4 + 3 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
7 + 2 |
0 |
26 + 17 |
0 |
My Year
August
Francis did not feature in August. "I am here in the first team and have been since last season,” said the young Frenchman. “Now I want to push on and be in the starting XI. I just want to play as much as football as I can. Last season the manager showed faith in me and now I have to show him that he can carry on in this way, that I have the qualities to play for Arsenal." September
Francis made four appearances in September, producing a series of tidy performances at the heart of midfield. October
Francis started both of Arsenal’s Champions League matches in October. The French midfielder was named Man of the Match for a battling display in the home loss to Schalke. November
Francis featured largely as a substitute in November, coming off the bench four times. He started the game against Fulham. December
Francis featured six times in December, missing only the defeat at home to Swansea. “We started really well, we had a great first half and when you are winning 1-0 away you want to hold on to the result,” he told Arsenal Player following the loss against Olympiacos. “We dropped a little bit and they scored two goals, so we are really disappointed. It is a tough place, but let's not forget we are Arsenal Football Club and when you come here, everyone wants to win [against you]. We could have come back with a win so we are very frustrated.” January
After starting and impressing against both Swansea City and Chelsea, Francis’ month was curtailed when he picked up a hamstring injury. February
Francis made one appearance in February, starting at right back against Blackburn Rovers. March
Francis was an unused substitute in all of Arsenal’s fixtures in March, though he did start for the under-21s in their last-gasp victory against Manchester United at Underhill. April
Francis featured once in April, coming on in the 89th minute to help see out victory against West Bromwich Albion. The midfielder completed 90 minutes of action as Arsenal Under-21s were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur.
November
Francis featured once during the month, playing the full match as Arsenal bowed out of the Carling Cup against Manchester City. December
Francis was a regular in Arsene Wenger's first-team squad, filling in at right back in the victory over Aston Villa and starting in Greece for the defeat against Olympiacos. The midfielder also played on the left side of the defence against QPR, replacing Thomas Vermaelen as a second-half substitute. January
Francis featured twice for the Gunners at the start of the month, although he pulled his hamstring in the second game against Leeds. He returned to action against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. The French midfielder also signed a new long-term contract with the Club. February
Francis played twice in the course of the month, but sustained an injury early in the FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Sunderland. March
Francis continued to recover from a hamstring injury. April
Francis recovered from a hamstring injury to rejoin the squad towards the end of the month. Although he did not make an appearance, the young Frenchman was on the bench for matches against Chelsea and Stoke. May
Francis returned to the first-team set-up for Arsenal's final two matches of the season. He filled in at right back against Norwich when Bacary Sagna was injured and started at the heart of midfield in the final-day victory over West Brom.
