Jump to content

Francis Coquelin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 82.132.233.163 (talk) at 10:08, 12 October 2015 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Francis Coquelin
Coquelin with Freiburg in 2013.
Personal information
Full name Francis Coquelin[1]
Date of birth (1991-05-13) 13 May 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Laval, France
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 34
Youth career
2000–2005 AS du Bourny
2005–2008 Stade Lavallois
2008–2009 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008– Arsenal 50 (0)
2010–2011 → Lorient (loan) 24 (1)
2013–2014 → SC Freiburg (loan) 16 (0)
2014 → Charlton Athletic (loan) 5 (0)
International career‡
2007–2008 France U17 3 (0)
2008–2009 France U18 5 (0)
2009–2010 France U19 16 (0)
2010–2011 France U20 12 (0)
2011–2012 France U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:59, 04 October 2015 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:48, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Francis Coquelin (born 13 May 1991) is a French footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Arsenal.[3][4]

Club career

Born in Laval, Mayenne,[1] Coquelin began his career playing for AS Laval Bourny before departing in 2005 for the biggest club in the commune, Stade Lavallois. Coquelin spent three years at the club before being spotted by renowned Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi, while on international duty, playing in a 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship elite round qualification match against Israel.

Arsenal

In July 2008, Coquelin joined Arsenal from Stade Lavallois following a successful trial with the club. Although he suffered a thigh injury which cut the trial short, Coquelin impressed and was subsequently offered a deal to stay in North London.[5]

Coquelin playing for Arsenal in a pre-season friendly against Barnet in 2008.

2008–09 season

Coquelin played for the first team in Arsenal's pre-season matches against Barnet and Szombathelyi Haladás,[6] and made his competitive first team debut for Arsenal in a 6–0 win over Sheffield United on 23 September 2008, coming on as a substitute for Fran Mérida to play at right back.[7] Coquelin scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt in a reserve match against Stoke City on 6 October 2008, shooting powerfully in from the edge of the box with his weaker left foot.[8]

2009–10 season

Coquelin was a regular for Arsenal's reserves during the 2009–10 season, playing 12 times and scoring twice.[9] On 22 September 2009, he made his first start for the first team against West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup third round, playing 58 minutes before he was replaced by Mark Randall.[10] He featured again in the League Cup, this time as a second-half substitute for Fran Mérida in the 2–1 victory against Liverpool.[11] Coquelin made a disappointing first FA Cup start in a 3–1 loss to Stoke City. Playing in an unfamiliar right back position, he was substituted in the second half for Aaron Ramsey.[12]

Lorient (loan)

Coquelin in training for Lorient.

Coquelin opted for a move to FC Lorient on a loan deal that saw him play his football in France throughout the 2010–11 season. He made his Lorient debut as a second-half substitute in the 2–1 home defeat to Nice on 14 August 2010.[13] Coquelin grabbed his first assist as Lorient lost 6–3 to Lille. After beating one Lille player, he played a through ball for Kevin Gameiro for Lorient's opener.[14] Coquelin received his first red card while playing at right back against Valenciennes. He received the second yellow card after a handball decision.[15] Coquelin scored his first goal in professional football as FC Lorient beat Stade Rennais F.C. 2–1, Francis scored the winner from close range after Rennes goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez had spilled a Morgan Amalfitano long range effort.[16] In the latter stages of the season Coquelin was heavily used on the right hand side of midfield. He completed his loan with Lorient making 24 appearances in Ligue 1, one appearance in the Coupe de France and scoring one goal.[17] Sky Sports reported that Lorient manager Christian Gourcuff was keen to re-sign Coquelin as well as his Arsenal team mate Gilles Sunu on an additional year's loan.[18]

2011–12 season

After spending pre-season at the U-20 World Cup with France, Coquelin returned to Arsenal and on 28 August 2011 made his first team league debut against Manchester United. Coquelin played 62 minutes in the 8–2 defeat before being substituted for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.[19] Coquelin made his second Premier League start for Arsenal in the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Despite Arsenal losing the game 2–1, Coquelin was voted as Arsenal.com’s Man of the Match by fans for the first time.[20] On 6 December 2011, Coquelin made his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal in the 3–1 away defeat to Olympiacos, playing 67 minutes before being substituted for Tomáš Rosický.[21] On 10 January 2012, Coquelin signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal. The Frenchman had been rewarded with a new deal after demonstrating his versatility with a string of fine performances in both holding midfield and defence.[22] Coquelin got his first assist for Arsenal in the 7–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers, his low cross to the front post was turned home by Robin van Persie.[23]

2012–13 season

At the start of the 2012–13 season, Coquelin received a new squad number, moving from 39 to 22.[24] He made his first start of the season in the 6–1 home win against Southampton, Coquelin played 67 minutes before being replaced by Aaron Ramsey.[25] Coquelin provided his first assist of the season in the 6–1 victory over Coventry City FC in the League Cup. His sliding flick on for Olivier Giroud, allowed the Frenchman to score his first goal for the club.[26] On 25 October 2012, Coquelin was awarded Arsenal.com's Man of the Match for his performance in the 2–0 home loss against FC Schalke 04.[27]

Freiburg (loan)

On 5 July 2013, Arsenal announced that Coquelin would be loaned to Freiburg for the 2013–14 season. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win over Slovan Liberec.[28]

Charlton Athletic (loan)

On 3 November 2014, Coquelin joined Championship side Charlton Athletic on a month's loan. He made his debut a day later coming off the bench in Charlton's 2-2 away draw with Leeds United at Elland Road. [29] Coquelin's loan deal was originally extended through the end of December 2014. On 12 December however, the media reported that Coquelin had been recalled early from his Charlton Athletic loan due to the injury crisis at Arsenal.[30]

Arsenal first team

Coquelin warming-up for Arsenal in 2015.

On 12 December 2014, Arsenal recalled Coquelin from his loan at Charlton to cover for the injured Aaron Ramsey.[31] The following day, he made a late substitute appearance in the team's 4–1 victory against Newcastle United in the Premier League.[32] After further substitute appearances in the team's next two matches against Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers, Coquelin was selected to start a Premier League match for the first time in 23 months as Arsenal beat West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground on 28 December.[33] After this, Coquelin retained his place in the Arsenal team and performed impressively as the Gunners defeated champions Manchester City 2–0 at the Etihad Stadium on 18 January 2015.[34][35][36] In his Press Conference on the 22nd January 2015, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke of Coquelin's loan to Charlton Athletic saying: "I saw that he made huge improvements in training so I sent him on loan for match practice."[37] On 1 March 2015 during the win against Everton, Coquelin broke his nose in a collision with teammate Olivier Giroud after a strong home performance as a midfield pivot to Santi Cazorla. Coquelin wore a protective mask and then displayed a resolute performance in the heart of midfield again against Queens Park Rangers on 4 March 2015, completing 89% of his passes and successfully performed six out of six tackles.

Coquelin has been a revelation ever since coming back from loan at Charlton, establishing himself as one of the top defensive players in the Premier League. Since his first game against West Ham United on 28 December 2014, he has led the league in defensive interceptions made, one-on-one duels, and placed second in tackles made, only four tackles fewer than Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta.[38] Arsene Wenger has publicly displayed his shock of the sudden impact Coquelin has brought since returning from loan, being quoted in the Guardian that Coquelin could be a "long-term solution."[39]

On 30 May 2015, Coquelin was selected to start in the 2015 FA Cup Final, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.[40]

International career

Coquelin is a French youth international having earned caps for the under-17s, under-18s, under-19s, under-20s and under-21s. Coquelin played a key role in France winning the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, starting four of France's five matches.[41] In the semi-final against Croatia, Coquelin skipped past three challenges and slipped a pass through for Cédric Bakambu to score the winning goal and put France into the final.[42]

Coquelin, as well as former Arsenal team mate Gilles Sunu, were named in France under-20's final 21-man squad that competed at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[43] Francis started and completed all seven of France's world cup games, as France finished fourth in Colombia.[citation needed]

Coquelin received his first red card at under-21 level in the 2–1 defeat to Slovakia; he was shown a straight red card after a challenge on Filip Kiss.[44]

Career statistics

Coquelin with Freiburg in 2013.
As of 4 October 2015[45]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2008–09 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2009–10 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2011–12 10 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 17 0
2012–13 11 0 2 0 3 0 6 0 0 0 22 0
2014–15 22 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 30 0
2015–16 7 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 10 0
Arsenal total 50 0 11 0 10 0 11 0 1 0 83 0
Lorient (loan) 2010–11 24 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 1
SC Freiburg (loan) 2013–14 16 0 3 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 24 1
Charlton Athletic (loan) 2014–15 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Career total 96 1 15 0 10 0 16 1 1 0 137 2

Honours

Club

Arsenal Youth
Arsenal

International

France

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  2. ^ "Barclays Premier League Player Profile". web page. Premier League. 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  3. ^ http://ukexpress.org/sport/football/barclays-premier-league/arsenal/francis-coquelin-could-be-the-new-gilberto-silva-at-arsenal-after-manchester-city-game/
  4. ^ http://www.arsenalnews.co.uk/francis-coquelin-could-be-arsenals-replacement-to-gilberto-silva-after-manchester-city-game/link/815677/
  5. ^ "Coquelin signing complete and new home kit revealed". arsenalyouth.wordpress.com. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Francis Coquelin". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008.
  7. ^ "Arsenal 6–0 Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  8. ^ "Arsenal Res. 3–2 Stoke Res". Arsenal F.C. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  9. ^ "2009/10". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Arsenal 2–0 West Brom". Arsenal F.C. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Arsenal 2 – 1 Liverpool". ESPN Soccernet. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Stoke City 3 – 1 Arsenal". ESPN Soccernet. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Loan Watch: Coquelin makes Lorient debut". Arsenal.com. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  14. ^ Sanderson, Jamie (5 December 2010). "Loanees – Coquelin Assists As Lansbury Stars". Young Guns Blog. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  15. ^ Sanderson, Jamie (27 February 2011). "Loanees: JET Scores, Afobe & Miyaichi Assist". Young Guns Blog. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  16. ^ Sanderson, Jamie (16 April 2011). "Video: Coquelin Goal v Rennes". Young Guns Blog. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Francis COQUELIN". Ligue1.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  18. ^ Haond, Patrick (7 May 2011). "Lorient keen to keep Gunners". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  19. ^ "Man Utd 8 – 2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  20. ^ "Man of the Match against Spurs – Coquelin". Arsenal.com. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  21. ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (6 December 2011). "Greek tragedy for Arsenal". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  22. ^ "Coquelin signs new long-term contract". Arsenal.com. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  23. ^ "Arsenal 7 – 1 Blackburn". Sky Sports. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  24. ^ "Squad numbers updated for start of season". Arsenal.com. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  25. ^ "Arsenal 6 -1 Southampton". Skysports.com. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  26. ^ "Arsenal 6 – 1 Coventry City". Arsenal.com. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  27. ^ "Man of the Match v Schalke – Coquelin". Arsenal.com. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  28. ^ "Coquelin joins SC Freiburg on loan". Arsenal FC. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  29. ^ "Charlton sign Arsenal midfielder Coquelin on loan". Charlton Athletic FC. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  30. ^ "Francis Coquelin recalled from loan by Arsenal". Charlton Athletic FC. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  31. ^ "Football - Gunners recall Coquelin". Yahoo. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  32. ^ "Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  33. ^ "West Ham United 1-2 Arsenal". Arsenal Football Club. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  34. ^ "Francis Coquelin was a leader for Arsenal at Manchester City (just a month after playing for Charlton)... Arsene Wenger may have found his new Gilberto Silva". The Daily Mail. 19 January 2015.
  35. ^ "Francis Coquelin's Arsenal masterclass: tactical triumph or just lucky?". The Guardian. 19 January 2015.
  36. ^ "Wenger's nous, Cazorla's flair and Coquelin's steel give Arsenal belief". ESPN. 19 January 2015.
  37. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsene-wenger-press-conference-live-5021471
  38. ^ "Arsenal mid Francis Coquelin has been most successful defensive player in second half of current Barclays Premier League season". Google. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  39. ^ "Wenger: Francis Coquelin could be a long-term solution". Google. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  40. ^ "FA Cup final - FT: Arsenal 4-0 Villa". BBC. 30 May 2015.
  41. ^ a b "Francis COQUELIN" (in French). French Football Federation. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  42. ^ "Under-19 2010 – France-Croatia". UEFA. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  43. ^ "Coupe du Monde en Turquie" (in French). French Football Federation. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  44. ^ "Slovakia stun France to end winning run". UEFA. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  45. ^ "Francis Coquelin: Appearances". ESPNFC. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  46. ^ "PAL FINAL: SPURS 0, ARSENAL 1". tottenhamhotspur.com. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  47. ^ "What next for Arsenal's FA Youth Cup winning youngsters?". Arsenal Youth. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  48. ^ "Coquelin is Vitality Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 7 September 2015.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Francis_Coquelin&oldid=685349174"