On Saturday April 4th, Arsenal hosted Liverpool at the Emirates in a heated fixture that would give the winning side a valuable thee points towards the end of the season. Arsenal won the game in style with a 4-1 home win to jump into second place. Despite the team as whole performing well, Francis Coquelin performed admirably in shielding the back four and disrupting Liverpool’s offence.
During the match, Coquelin could be found all over the pitch. Whether he was chasing down the opposition, recycling possession, or making tackles, Coquelin was a menace for the opposition. He recorded six interceptions and two clearances while protecting Arsenals defensive line. Although his tackling was less than impressive with a less than 50% success rate, his tenacity and tendency to make a challenge gave his teammates enough time to track back and make up lost ground whether he won the tackle or not.
Francis Coquelin is slowly becoming the defensive midfielder that Arsenal has needed since the departure of Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman has quite the way until he can compare himself to the Arsenal legend but with his recent performances Arsenal might have a star in the making.