Yearly Archives: 2015

Francis Coquelin Apology

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An apology is needed. I am sure I am not the only one who needs to issue one.

Francis Coquelin, I am sorry.

Back in November, when it was announced that Coquelin was to join Charlton on loan, I blogged that “The only logical reason for such a short term loan as that it is to get him match fit for January, when he will be sold.” I have been proved wrong.

Others went a lot further:

http://twitter.com/JackWilsh10/status/550695692164165633
http://twitter.com/iDaywa/status/546722632130105344

Since he got his opportunity in the middle of December, he has gone from strength to strength and is now arguably one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Luck plays a big part in footballers getting their breakthrough.

Ashley Cole was due to be sold to Crystal Palace when Silvinho ‘lost’ his passport. Gareth Bale (+£15m) was on its way to Middlesbrough in exchange for Stewart Downing, until Boro rejected the offer. Harry Kane was getting pimped around English football 18 months ago, there were no takers. Football is littered with these stories of players getting a little bit of luck helping them with their breakthrough.

Coquelin is certainly another to add to this list. When he was recalled, Arsenal were without Koscielny, Monreal & Chambers, Arsenal were short at the back. The original suggestion was the Debuchy would move to centre back and Coquelin would cover full back. But at the same time, Arsenal were also without Wilshere, Ramsey & Arteta, meaning we had gaps to fill in midfield. Recalling Coquelin, in the short term, was the only option. It gave him his chance.

What was not luck was how Coquelin then applied himself after getting recalled. He showed passion, has worked hard and been disciplined.

His heart, desire and positional sense was highlighted the best in the recent  Cup match against Manchester United.  Despite giving away 6 inches to Marouane Fellaini, he won 10 of their 12 aerial duels. He wanted it more and read the ball better.

The stats speak for themselves. Since the turn of the year, no Premier League player has made more tackles (4) or more interceptions (43) than Francis Coquelin. His statistics compare favourably to other defensive minded Premier League midfielders:untitled

What has impressed me most recently is his discipline. After 4 yellow cards in his 1st four starts, he has since only got 2 yellows in his last 14 appearances, and none in his last 6.

He is clearly a player who understands his role in the team.

Coquelin influence is also a frustration. We all knew we needed a top defensive midfielder at the beginning of the season. We failed to buy one. You have to think had we bought what we needed, we would be closer than the 7 points (having played a game more) to Chelsea. We would be in the title race.

Some stuck with Coquelin. One of the lads I travel with always backed him. “You can not comment until he plays” and “If he breaks through you will realise” he repeated to me on numerous occasions. I disregarded his opinion – he has also been speaking about Kondogbia for a few years – and have been proved wrong.

So Francis Coquelin, I apologise. You do have a future at Arsenal.

Keenos

 

Patrick Vieira set for Arsenal return

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We wake up this morning that Patrick Vieira could be on the verge of leaving Manchester City this summer.

When Vieira joined the Manchester City coaching staff in 2011, having recently stopped playing for the club, many Arsenal fans were critical of Arsene Wenger and the club for not doing enough to bring the former captain home. At the time, I could understand why Vieira went straight from playing for City to joining their set up as Football Development Executive. A made up title to keep Vieira round, pay a high wage, and use him to attract players.

Since then, Vieira has reportedly become a decent coach. Now the reserve team and Elite Development squad manager of Manchester City, he has spent 3 years gaining his coaching qualifications, and is highly regarded.

All of the cards are now falling into place. With his contract expiring, and his coaching experience, and Vieira still living in the Hampstead mansion he owned when playing for Arsenal, the club need to make an offer to bring the former captain home to London, and take his place amongst the Arsenal coaching staff.

Early reports are that he could be on the way to Bayern Munich to manager their ‘B’ team. This just further highlights how highly regarded he is throughout football. Any offer from Arsenal would surely gazump any approach by Bayern Munich.

Whilst being a top player does not necessarily make you a top coach or manager (Roy Keane, Tony Adams), Vieira has shown ability, and just having him around the club would be a good influence on the young players within the squad.

With Robert Pires  employed by the club as an Ambassador, Thierry Henry having a larger involvement in the club whilst undertaking his coaching badge, Freddie Ljungberg set take his badges,  and Gilberto Silva having recently been invitedback to the club to do some coaching, the return of Vieira alongside these invincible’s could see Arsenal end up mirroring the Ajax set up.

Imagine having 5 invincible’s on the training ground on a daily basis. All that would be missing would be Dennis Bergkamp.

The time has come for Arsenal to pull out the stops and bring Patrick Vieira home.

Keenos

 

Where has Krystian Bielik gone?

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He was signed with a bit of a fan fare, many people quoting a single new paper article stating that we had signed the new Patrick Vieira. The hype became so great that a day after his signing, many Arsenal fans were calling for him to start in the FA Cup match against Brighton.

But since his signing, what has happened to Krystian Bielik?

The hype when we signed him was vastly unjustified. This was a barely 17 year old Polish midfielder who had only played a handful of senior games. Many people had built their views on the numerous papers and blogs which called him a ‘wonderkid’ and labelled him as the new Patrick Vieira.

Bielik

‘The new Patrick Vieira’ label had come from a single newspaper report, which every other newspaper then picked up on and quoted. This was then picked up by various blogs, and then it became a self fulfilling prophecy. Fans were getting excited, despite having never heard of him before December last year, and having never seen him play. The original article only labelled him as the new Patrick Vieira because he was tall and a teenager. I doubt they have ever seen him play.

The signing of Bielik seemed to be hit by delays and more delays. It should have been an easy deal to complete, but it took weeks of drawn out negotiations, resulting in us issuing a ‘Missing Persons’ Poster. It seems that Bielik is now making a habit of disappearing.

Despite all the hype, he has pretty much not been heard of since he joined. After the 1st week of people clamouring for him to start (although this was probably more due to our issues in the middle of the park than his talent), the hype seems to have quietened down (again, maybe this is due to Coquelin stepping up). So nearly 2 months after he signed, where has the New Patrick Vieira got to?

The youngster made his debut for the Under 18’s at the end of February, playing 60 minutes in a 3-1 defeat to Norwich – watched by Arsene Wenger – and then 75 minutes against Leicester a few days later.

He then went on to play the full 90 minutes for the under 21’s in a 1-0 defeat against Derby where he had a header cleared off the line. His performance was described as “quiet but tidy.”

Bielik did not play in the next U18’s match against Norwich (another defeat), nor in the 0-0 draw with Blackburn of the U21’s. It is clear that Arsenal are taking his progress slow.

It was unreasonable to expect him to go into the first team straight away. Arsenal are doing the right thing with him. There is no need to rush. 6 months training with the first team, and breaking through and performing with the youth sides will be good for his development. Do not expect to see Bielik near the first team soon. This is a talented young lad who Arsene Wenger has said will not play this season.

Keenos