I have never like DMs with one job either but when they are performing and the team benefits from their contribution, I can’t understand the constant needless criticism.
It just comes across some sort of vendetta when you do so.
It’s not needless at all, it, like Flamini, and Ramsey last season, is a big Trump-getting-elected/Brexit-sized indication of Wenger’s ineptitude/lack of fitness to be manager.
Well, say what you want, kid was great the few mins he had, he did exactly what he should.
Btw how come you don’t use the same logic to Walcott?
Doesn’t participate in play - check
Only does one job - check
Because Walcott isn’t a central midfielder. Coquelin is like an accountant who refuses to do maths. (EDIT: I’m too hungover/sleep deprived for analogies right now, so let’s just leave the Walcott one aside. The point is already made anyways with the Coquelin line.)
Yeah you know what, fuck Coquelin. While we are at it, someone get Makelele on the phone. That shithouse needs to be told how bad a midfielder he was too.
Yeah But Walcott is a winger who is not displaying any attributes of a winger bar pace and finishing.
To be fair I agree, Coquelin should improve his contribution with the ball.
Look, Walcott is a very flawed player too, but you can much, much more afford one specialist high up the pitch than you can right in the middle of it. Especially if he’s got Elneny next to him.
I don’t even find Coquelin to be totally useless, honestly, I’m much more open-minded to using him as a specialist ball-winner high up the pitch if we’re pressing like we did against Chelsea, than others. Provided of course he’s paired with a midfielder who actually does good things with the football itself.
But of course, in a top club, he’s far too limited to be a regular starter as Wenger uses him, no matter the situation.
And yes, calling him the best DM in the league as many Arsenal fans do is laughable.
Your bias against him is genuinely embarrassing. I implore you to take a step back and reflect upon it.
Beat his man and put in a pin point cross. Hashtag impact sub.
Where the fuck did that come from Ox??? An accurate cross?!?
:cech: good job 
Thought you were a Coquelin fan?
Leaving Coquelin out for another centre midfielder and the rest of the set-up was the same as today, we would have not suddenly played proper football. There is a chronic lack of technic and intelligence in that line-up. Too easy to pick him out imo.
5 goals and 4 assists so far this season for a shite player is pretty good… I hope he starts vs PSG (I think he will, along with Xhaka / Giroud)
I agree, but out of the trinity of useless players we fielded today Coq has the most value because he actually adds something defensively to the side. Ramsey is basically a training cone and Elneny isn’t much better.
No doubt. Flamini f.e. was an integral part of that 07/08 team with his ‘special’ defensive qualities, providing balance etc. Ramsey, Walcott, they are going to do nothing for us imo.
I was, but he’s turned out to be very Flaministic. I liked him a lot more in spring of 14-15 and the assumption was that he would continue to grow in confidence with the ball, not regress into a Flamini of a midfielder. Like I said though, he has his uses, he’s a decent player, just a terribly overrated one among a few Arsenal fans atm and a terribly frustrating one this season especially because of Arséne’s (over)use of him.
Sure, did I say anything to contradict this? Still, a midfield pivot of Coquelin and Elneny is an obvious place to start. It was obvious it was going to be this way when we saw the lineup.
Walcott has clearly done something for us though, like him or not (you don’t), his record is there to see. In the end Coquelin and Walcott are both specialists that do one thing really well, but like I said, I much prefer/can see much more the logic in a specialist high up the pitch than right in the middle of it.
I don’t see how’s that so obvious? I think it’s quite obvious how limited we still are in the final third even if Cazorla f.e. is on the pitch. If Wenger actually properly acted in the (past) summer(s) and signed a couple of good/great wingers in recent transferwindows, we wouldn’t have bitched, or would have less, about a midfield pairing as we had today in Cazorla’s abscene.
Because more forwards who can actually play, means more players where our midfielders can get ‘rid’ of the ball quicker, hence that relieves pressure from the midfield.
If passing lanes are cut from Walcott he offers nothing. We essentially play with 10 man. He can’t drop back to make himself available when needed, he has no dribble to relieve the team when under pressure. He has nothing. What does a record even mattter then? I would like to have players upfront who actually have the ability to do something with the ball in the final third, creatively. He on occasion can’t even get to the ball…
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Yeah, but we’re not talking about the final third, we’re talking about a complete lack of control on the game that starts with the midfield. Walcott is a forward, you can afford one poacher in the team, you can’t afford a midfield composed of a player who actively hides himself from the ball and another who is quite average in all aspects really. Especially in a supposed “passing” style.
But because we have ‘useless’ wingers in our team, who can’t relieve the team in any sort of way because they are so limited, teams can relentlessly press our midfield pivot and nullify our midfield regardless of who plays there. I think the PSG-away game with Cazorla was a good example of that. Unless we get more technic/intelligence and more involvement and a actual threat from all three of our forwards, this is always going to be a problem.