Francis Coquelin admits he harboured doubts he’d make it at Arsenal…as recently as December.
In a wide-ranging interview with homeland publication Ouest France, the 23-year-old touched on his career’s recent change of trajectory, outlining how a spell in the Bundesliga has proved positive and what he’s now charged with doing in the Gunners midfield.
“Retrieve the ball and move it forward quickly,” explained Coquelin when asked what instructions he’s received from Arsene Wenger.
“I’m hard to move [off the ball] and even if I’m not huge, I’m very relaxed…after all I just managed to beat Fellaini at Manchester United.
“If I do my job I’m not really needed offensively. Not when we’ve got the likes of Sanchez, Cazorla, Ozil, Giroud, Walcott and Welbeck. I’m just here to take a weight off those guys.”
Last month Coquelin signed a new deal that consolidates his first team credentials; one that keeps him at the Emirates until 2019. However, recognising that few players ever progress from the Arsenal youth team he concedes that he feared his career may have peaked too soon.
“I have to say, yes [I had doubts I’d make it]…as recently as four months ago for that matter!
“When you’re young and you go abroad, you take a risk, especially when you come to Arsenal. At first I didn’t want to go. I came for a week-long trial and saw the guys really slugging it out in training. In life you have to take risks though.
“Only two Gunners have made it from my generation, a side that won all the youth titles. Just Wilshere and me. There’s also Gilles Sunu, who plays in France, but the others are all in the second and third divisions in England.
“I’ve always had self confidence, my only regret at the time was not being able to show what I could do. It nearly happend, then I got my chance. If I had to leave tomorrow though, I wouldn’t regret a thing.”
Having signed for Arsenal seven years ago, Coquelin’s road to regular first team action has been a long and winding one. He makes clear though that he’s not cut any corners, putting in the hard graft when needed and learning from opportunities handed to him on loan, like his recent stint at Bundesliga side Freiburg:
“I’ve never cheated on the training front. At 16, when I needed to do cardio work alone, I did it. When you’re at the start as a footballer, you hate that. Then I stabilised my private life at a time when I really needed to do so. For a couple of years I was with someone who had children. It empowered me.
“I’ve also taken all the positives from my season at Freiburg, even though it was a struggle. It was good to experience something else. You realise you have absolutely everything at Arsenal, I knew it already, but still. I kept my head on my shoulders, I knew where I’d come from.
“I only played 16 matches [in Germany], and they made me play left or right midfield, which is not my job…but I worked so hard physically over there – 12 kilometre runs working on power in the forest, then in the afternoon split training, twelve 1000 metre sessions on the banks of the river.
“It’s very strict and thorough in Germany. After training you’re forced to spend an hour helping your muscles recuperate. You work. Since then though I’ve never been injured. In France, young people think they’ve made it too quickly.”
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The above quotes have been translated from the original by Arseblog News (hat tip to @RYO_Cleverfish for sending them our way)…and to be honest, the exercise was a stretch for our god-awful A-Level French. If any Gallic natives spot obvious mistakes, do let us know. Merci.
Scratch the above, a full transcript has been done by GetFootballNewsFrance – you can read that here.
Great article, thanks.
Shows hard work pays off and knowing your role in the team. Keep it up, Coq.
“I’m hard to move [off the ball] and even if I’m not feeling great, I’m very relaxed…after all I just managed to beat Fellaini at Manchester United.”
Love the confidence from this lad, so happy it’s worked out for all involved.
Yeah, I also like the fact in some national newspapers and websites he is also being credited with raising the enrgy of the team collectively. It’s obvious to cite the energy of Sanchez and Welbeck as new signings and the influence it has had on the team. Its also easy to cite the fact Coquelin has become a midfiled stalwart. But, I really like that his energy and passion are being ackowledged as being as important as that of Sanchez in setting a new tone at Arsenal. He has been as important as any other player in transforming the team… Read more »
And when capt artetas fit wenger will drop a bollock by dropping his coq.
That place is the Coq’s to lose now, i reckon. He’s been so good.
Arteta is great but the Coq has the defensive steel and feistyness the role requires.
Maybe he could do with a rest now and again but with him being young and hungry I’d let the Coq grow in the middle.
Before, the game, I was only worried about Fellaini and Rooney. I thought they could get us in trouble. But, Coq’s job on Fellaini was tactical masterclass that Wenger seldom gets praised for. You just have to look at how he messed up Spurs in first half.
“If I had to leave tomorrow, I wouldn’t regret a thing” ~ well how about the regret of not being able to play for The Arsenal anymore?
“Since then though I’ve never been injured.”
He said all the right things and then had to go and ruin it…
Germany sounds fucking wretched though :/
I looked up pictures of Freiburg Germany and it looks quite nice. Looks like a very quaint and pretty little city.
Very interesting stuff about German fitness exercises. Sounds very very tough. If anything though, this has made him a harder Coq.
A hard Coq can also break. Hopefully he doesn’t jinx it.
As long as the Coq figures out when to be hard, and when to relax, everyone will be happy.
Yeah but you’ve really got to be power bottoming it to mistakenly jam it back for it to break. Meaning, as long as its not really wet our Coq will be fine?
Seems he went on military training Germany. Running on the bank of a river, hurling Rocks and jumping off mountain cliffs. This guy should be our Rambo.
Please just help us win in france. Tomorrow’s headlines should “Arsenal coq-quers Monaco”
Arsenal coq-slap Monaco?
Another amazingly welcomed surprise this year. Bellerin, monreal, coquelin. Who saw those blokes having huge seasons for the gunners this year.
Isn’t it quite worrying that barely any youth player makes it to the first team?
Just shows how hard it really is. But that’s why we have Jonker now.
Not when the reason is because we’re spending £42m on Ozil or £36m on Alexis, then I’m really quite sanguine about it. I never really enjoyed the small number of idiots singing “spend some fucking money” at AW. Now he’s done that and it means that if you’re coming through the youth system at Arsenal and into the first team, it’s because you’ve got what it takes and not because we’ve sold one of our best players to a rival because we need the money.
So, no. I don’t find it that worrying. I find it good.
Not really a club like Arsenal only want the diamond player who comes along once every 2 or 3 generations or so. They rest get a good education and a solid career in football just not with us. Southampton get a lot of praise (rightly) for there youth system but the bar to the first team is a lot lower ours and are more inclined to ‘risk’ a player maturing into quality.
I went to see the FA Youth Cup team of 2009 beat Sunderland 4-0 at the Stadium of Light. They were on another level to their hosts and were again in the final against Liverpool. The team of (some keeper on loan from Charlton I think) Eastmond, Cruise, Ayling, Bartley, Frimpong, Coquelin, Lansbury, Jet, Wilshere and Sunu looked like it was peppered with stars. After Le Coq and Wilshere – Bartley makes the odd appearance for Swansea and Lansbury looks like one of the best players in the Championship. Other than that the players (all 23/24 years old). Other than… Read more »
What a guy. Love his attitude. Seeing him play on with a broken nose against Everton was inspiring. Always wanted him to do well, so fucking happy he’s doing the business for us in that mythologized DM position, especially after so nearly leaving the club.
What a chap!
Take the entire Arsenal squad to those German riverbeds and this will prolly be headlines next morning “Arsenal squad suffer multiple injuries working on their “fitness”
I had my doubts about our Coq but he has taken his chance and showed that he is as good as anybody at Arsenal in that role and he has youth on his side. It great that he established his self at Arsenal by default rather than some other club. goodworklad
You gotta love his commitment. Lovely chap we got right there. Those ferocious tackles seem to be fading though. He should keep to them. Once he gets Charlie Adam with one, dude will go to play wide midfield permanently to avoid him. Then he can do that once in every game and the holding midfielders will avoid him like ebola.
Another Coq type in to the squad for next season……..he is going to need cover
An invincible team is possible here
Great attitude – Making of a legend
“I only played 16 matches [in Germany], and they made me play left or right midfield, which is not my job…but I worked so hard physically over there – 12 kilometre runs working on power in the forest, then in the afternoon split training, twelve 1000 metre sessions on the banks of the river.”
it was actually either one of these type of trainings, and not both in a same day.
Another thing is he is still with that person who has two children, and has been so for a couple of years.
Coquelin “My new job is to put attacking midfielders in my back pocket”
German thorougness, strict recuperating routine, never been injured since.
I guess that is why we hired the German national teams fitness Coach.
I read an interview with Mats Daehli, former Cardiff player and Man United academy prospect whom is currently playing for Freiburg himself. He to said that training was taken to a whole different level in Germany, but they were also very meticulous about the recuperating process down to the smallest detail.
Perhaps Forsythe will implement the same training regime at Arsenal with more intense and arduous training sessions, but also a more thorough recuperating process afterwards.
What a guy. Wasn’t to excited when he was recalled, but now I look forward to seeing his name on the team sheet everyday. Who would have thought that the mythical DM was on loan to Charlton?
Motivators could adapt this story of the Coq to their motivation courses.
Coquelin’s story is one of the best in recent Arsenal history.
He is a brilliant player with the right attitude to life. I hope he, more than most, gets a Cup winners medal this season. He so deserves it.
COYG!!
Coquelin’s story is one of the best in recent Arsenal history.
He is a brilliant player with the right attitude to life. An inspiration.
I hope he gets the cup winners medal he so very much deserves.
COYG!!
A candid and refreshing interview from a pleasant and grounded chap.
Looks like we need to get our guys over to the German forests and rivers to guarantee an injury-free career 😉
Coquelin’s story is one of the best in recent Arsenal history.
He is a brilliant player with the right attitude to life. An inspiration.
I hope he gets the cup winners medal he so very much deserves.
COYG!!
““I’m hard to move [off the ball] and even if I’m not huge, I’m very relaxed…after all I just managed to beat Fellaini at Manchester United.”
LEGEND.
Man, with Sanchez too it’s a new era of players to love.
He says we have forward players already so he stays back. But the mad thing is he has the skills to go forward too, making him a very good all round player. He looks tough and intimidating on the pitch too. Curious about his upbringing. Was it tough?
Just a minor mistake.
He says: “Depuis 2 ans, j’ai rencontré quelqu’un qui a des enfants”, which basically means he’s been with that person for the last 2 years, he met her 2 years ago and probably still is with her.
Also, “cela responsabilise” doesn’t really mean “it’s empowering”, it just means being with someone who has children gave him more responsibilities.
Thanks Coq for increasing my belief in Arsenal.
Get that Coq into Monaco!
Arse UP!
#COYFG
Start of season I mentioned that Wenger had kept Coquelin in and around the team for a reason. As it was, it was a close thing and he was one foot out the door but he took his chance when it came fantastically and he has provided an inspiration for everyone. There tends to be criticism over young players early in their careers before they have become full article and judgements are made by the masses prematurely. Witness the calls for Walcott and Ramsey to be rid of. Currently Sanogo we are told will never amount to anything because he… Read more »
I liked your bit about players not being the finished article until about 23 but I do disagree with your view on some other stuff 😉 I don’t really see how Mertesacker was NOT suffering from a world cup hang-over. and why would his positioning worsen? And yet you claim the Mertescielny backline is responsible for our better recent stint. And sorry, Mathieu, but your not a good player, surely at least not somebody we would keep for his footballing skills…Imo he is one of the players who could easily be upgraded, but not with Gustavo! Lego-hair is the one… Read more »
what a man. he has really come of age and I’d like wilshere to exibit the same attitude. the mental strength it takes to stay at it even in another country and still make it at the end of the day for arsenal is huge. massive props.
I wish Coq would share his experiences with Walcott. So talented but won’t put in the work. Nowadays he looks overweight and doesn’t have the body language of a fighter.
unrelated, apart from in a cock sense, I just saw Sunderland have hired Dick Advocaat. We’ve still got them to come and they’re in trouble.
If Coq puts in a powerful performance and beats them Dick Advocaat will be all over the place.
If only this guy comes half as good as gilberto Silva we are good