Arsene Wenger says it was crowd pressure more than foul play that put Francis Coquelin in danger of a red card during today’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The midfielder was booked in the first half and committed a number of fouls subsequently, each one drawing louder bays from the home fans who obviously wanted their team to have the advantage of an extra man.
And while the Arsenal manager said it was that pressure that contributed to his decision to replace Coquelin with Oxlade-Chamberlain, he didn’t feel the player’s fouls were worthy of a second yellow.
“He didn’t deserve a [second] yellow card,” he said. “The pressure was on to get him sent off. I had a hesitation at half-time but I felt that the pressure was already there.
“After the last foul I thought there was not much room for a decision. Every time he intervened, the crowd were behind it and put the pressure on the referee.
“I felt that it was 60 minutes played, I didn’t want to take him off but I didn’t have much room.”
The manager’s thoughts were very much in contrast of Alain Pardiuex, who was critical of referee Lee Mason.
“He should have been sent off, but he didn’t make the call. Our bench thought he should have gone. Their bench did too, so taking him off was a natural reaction.
“The foul just before half time was debatable, a cynical challenge, but give people the benefit of the doubt. But you can’t make another one. The third one…”
He’s obviously upset. But that’s all right.
I thought he was quite lucky, not because he deserved to be sent off but because that’s normally what happens in similar circumstances. Sensible management by Wenger.
I think coq got away with one, the final foul before being subbed. Just watching back on motd you see mert telling wenger to sub him straight away. That said, just hope coq realises we won’t always have the option to sub him.
Show’s why we need someone else who can play that role, though. At the rate he’s picking up bookings even without a red he’s gonna be missing 3-4 games from yellow card suspensions this season. Maybe Arteta can cover. But Arteta and Santi is not really what you want in the sort of hard games where Coq picks up bookings and has to be yanked. Maybe if Ramsey continues to play from the right to start we could rejig it to be Ramsey/Arteta, put Santi on the wing instead. But it’d sure be a lot simpler to just have another… Read more »
Well said……….I still can’t believe there are “supporters” that down-vote others who are REASONABLY looking for cover………did you clowns watch the last 2 matches?? Glad to see that win against Palace (perspective needed!!!) papered over our very visible cracks for wengers’ minions on here…….it helps when you actually watch/know football & don’t just blindly follow, just be you’re in love with an old man/manager &this warped ideals that is/are past his/their sell by date.
Interestingly we got to see Ramzorla in middle with ox on right. Cazorla in the middle and ox on the right are now no brainer for me. Rambo has to earn his place in the team by being more composed on transition from defence to attack something which santi does so well!
A “no-brainer” for us is a quantum-physics equation for wenger
He was lucky. Any other referee would have sent him off.
Coquelin is not the answer, and we will pay for relying on him this season.
How much will you pay?
And thats why I am not convinced by AW’s game management. He should have been proactive and replaced Coq even before BFG’s signal to do so. On a bad day he would have been red carded already. If this happened to us, I would see it as an injustice. Granted we won the game and I am glad for it but I dont like the tendency of taking needless risk which could have been mitigated so easily. I hooe Coq is getting an earfull from his teammates as hus performance was an immature one today. Impressed by Ozil, made lot… Read more »
anyone notice how David Silva had like 7 or 8 fouls in the Citeh Chelski game? Don’t think he even got a yellow all game…
I think it was Chambers who was sent off last year for committing like 2 so-so fouls. Refs are so inconsistent.
Wow………..Apples & oranges dude, apples & oranges…………
Not one of his fouls were malicious. Nowhere near, although one was maybe a bit cynical. It’s not as though he was maiming anyone. I think the referee was correct in not sending him off. Players can get seriously injured by a poor tackle and the offender will get a red card and miss 3 games the injured player could be injured for months. Maybe the FA could hand out bans to players equal to the severity and duration of the injured player. Doubt that would work, but hey. To ban Coquelin for 4 fouls would have ludicrous. Being an… Read more »
I think he was lucky to stay on. At one point he makes a cynical foul on a Palace player breaking up their counter attack and the ref calls him and Mertesacker (don’t remember seeing that before) giving him his final warning. Just minutes later a Palace player make an identical foul breaking an Arsenal counter in a similar position on the field and is given a yellow card.
It is called the captains stepped approach for avfinalbwarning before further misconduct action is taken. It is used widely in senior football but not much on the Premier league
He had a total of four fouls and one of those was a yellow. Seems harsh to send him off for one more foul unless it was a dirty one. But like Blogs said you just don’t know from game to game what will get you yellow card so the safe move was to sub him.
Yes He was lucky and i had a sigh of releif when He was substituted
Par-Doo.
Dat-Poo.
Glad He was replaced before He was given the second yellow because He is now an integral part of the team
And I think it’s kind of telling that we consider a five-month wonder an “integral part of the team.” In his last two games, he’s looked more like a weak link rather than integral.
But Coquelin was not covering himself in glory either. The second tackle just before half time, I think Zaha it was, was quite unnecessary.
I think it was an extra man advantage not extra time advantage
Pardew was no angel in this, by his own admission he spoke to Lee Mason at half time to confirm that another foul would mean a red card for Coquelin, doesn’t take Einstein to work out Pardews team talk!
Totally agree. Hats off to Lee Mason for not falling for Pardew’s cuntishly slimey tactics. Master of psychology he most certainly is not. Twat.
Well said. Further to that, the CP crowd is boisterous and Pardew eggs them up more. Everytime some play goes against CP (a tackle not blown as a foul) Pardew turns to the crowd (some assistants also) throws his arms in the air as if a mortal wrong has been perpetrated on them with no punishment. Fair dues on one level, 12th man and all that. However, Coquelin whilst fouling was not being overly reckless or malicious though he was pushing it before being subbed. That said, I honestly do not feel he should have been sent off and wish… Read more »
Fair play to Lee Mason, he didn’t give the crowd what they wanted. Yeah Coquelin probably deserved a booking at some point but a second yellow would have been harsh yet we’ve seen referees crack under pressure before.
Either way, a defensive midfielder is always going to pick up a fair few yellow cards over the course of a season. If not, he’s not doing his job well enough.
But ya gotta love Coquelin’s attitude!
Crystal Palace were baiting him and crying like little girls every time he fouled, just to influence the ref.
I thought it was poor management on wenger’s part to bring Le coq on for the 2nd half we were truly lucky it wasn’t Mike Dean or some of those arsenal hating refs…..at the end of the 1st half I was thinking it..you were thinking it….the fans were thinking it…why take a needless chance bringing Le coq on for the 2nd half when his game is all about the tackle and physicality the home fans will scream foul with every legitimate tackle he makes to get him sent off!.. Wenger needs to start being proactive rather than reactive…this is often… Read more »
Really well put sir. I don’t know why your getting so many thumbs down. It was as clear as day to most watching. He should have been subbed at half time. Proactive as you say. If he gets second yellow I can only imagine the stick he would be getting. Guys it really is ok to respectfully critique. Some of you seem so defensive.
My thumbs down to these comments * are * respectful critiques–I simply disagree that Coq should have been substituted at halftime. Players play with yellow cards all the time. Once the last foul occurred and the situation was apparent, take him off. That’s all. Not thumbing down the comments because I’m against freethinking or whatever; I just disagree with the tactic.
Would of been great if the headline was “crowd tried to get him sent off – the bastards” shame
Lee Mason made some strange decisions.
Coquelin’s foul for his yellow card was no worse than Soare taking out Ozil on the dead ball line, Soare unbelievably wasn’t cautioned
Ahem, bit blinkered there Arsene old son. The Coq did a pretty good job of trying to pick up that second yellow. I’m not complaining, I like a bit of clatter in midfield. But let’s be honest about this. We owe the ref one.
He was thinking with his Coq and lucky not to see red. Our fihishign was average should have been 5-2. Palace will take down some good teams if they keep playing like that at home. COYG!
Now I can’t wait to see the Coq on the orcs. Pay back time
actually i have seen stoke play and i hate to admit it. they sure do still have the despicable fans but the team no longer play completely like orcs. they actually have gifted players who will walk right into our reserve team.
Coq’s yellow was interesting. Bolasie jumped his tackle. Coq kept his legs down and Bolasie came down on them and fell over. Not sure why he was carded to begin with. Later, Saha hadn’t hit the ground yet when he throw his hand up in the “card” gesture. Pretty lame, really. For their part CP nipped at our ankles the whole game. Cabaye whacked away all day and that was fine with the ref. Giroud got wrestled down from behind by Delaney and ref played on. Soare takes down Ozil in a very cynical end line tackle-nothing. It wasn’t just… Read more »
I saw the same thing you did–for the tackle that earned a yellow card, Coquelin pulled out of it. The Palace player running at speed then trod on Coquelin’s ankle (inadvertently) which caused him to lose his footing and go down. A free kick was the correct decision, but the card was too harsh. The push on the Zaha right before half time was a yellow card for unsporting behavior for breaking up a counter attack. The foul Mason gave before Coquelin was withdrawn I did not even see as a foul, never mind a foul deserving a second yellow.… Read more »
The big difference is Santi playing in the middle. Coquelin was also there last game we got beat. As much as Coquelin is a massive improvement, Santi is a critical piece of the puzzle most tend to play down. What we really need is a player who can hold the ball but also drive forward, the more restrictive holding role is already covered by both Arteta and Flamini (both better players than many make them out to be) that said, one of them (likely Flamini) should make way. In which case someone like a Illaramendi could be useful both as… Read more »
No offense to our semi-solid Coq but Illaramendi would spell the end of his starting spot if in direct competition…….double duty is the only way he would/should start in that situation #KnowYourFootball
Coq tried to get Coq sent off, just naivete as he’s new to this level of scrutiny, hes made it to the big show on his own merit and I for one won’t begrudge him a red every now and then as we have needed this type of player for donkeys imo!
Slight typo in the second paragraph, “have the advantage of an extra [man].
Excellent write up!