Francis Coquelin believes playing well for Arsenal could lead to a dream chance to represent France on home soil at next summer’s European Championships.
The midfielder’s profile has soared so much thanks to nine months of first team football at the Emirates that he’s now considered a serious contender for a first senior international call-up.
Speaking to Arsenal.com about a potential debut for Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus, Coquelin – who has seven under-21 caps to his name – underlined that an international reward will only come as a result of continued consistency on the domestic front.
“Every player wants to represent their country and the Euros in France is something massive for any French player to be a part of.
“To be part of the squad would be amazing but there are loads of things to do first and the most important thing is Arsenal.
“If I play well here maybe I will get a chance for France, but the most important thing is Arsenal. As any French player would, though, you want to play for France and hopefully it can happen one day.
“It would be unbelievable. I won the Under-19 Euros and it was something unbelievable as well. To win the Euros with the French national team would be even more crazy. If I perform well here, maybe I will get the chance to play for France but I think the most important thing is to stay focused on Arsenal and then things will come along.”
Le Coq appears to have a good head on his shoulders but he’s also got plenty of competition for a place in the France set-up. Their latest squad, for friendlies with Portugal and Serbia, includes midfielders Yohan Cabaye, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba, Morgan Schneiderlin, Moussa Sissoko and Mathieu Valbuena.
As we all know, the last time France hosted a major football tournament, Arsenal won the World Cup. Who’s to say history won’t repeat itself at the Euros?
After all it’s not too hard to imagine Koscielny and Debuchy combining out of defence, Francis providing a pinpoint pass to Olivier Giroud who in turn squares for Mathieu Flamini to score the winner in the final.
Is it?
Charlton Athletic to a potential call-up to the French national team in under a year. Whatever way you look at it, that’s simply staggering.
If he improved at the same rate over the next one month’s he would be unequivocally the best dmid in the world. Of course that isn’t going to happen but his growth has been amazing.
But thousands of Arsenal fans still say it’s fine we didn’t sign anyone, as if there wasn’t a history of players making huge developments in their game while at the club. It was the ethos that resurrected Bergkamp’s career and started Henry’s but in 2015 “we couldn’t find anyone better than what we have or make us definitive contenders.”
But here we are discussing an international call-up for Francis, after celebrating Hector’s. Sick of the bullshit mantras and the utter bollocks spouted this week.
Think France need to realise that there’s only ONE COQ to go around.
I don’t care, I just want the Coq to have 95 Sliding Tackle ability in FIFA 17.
The only realistic part of this is Flamini scoring a screamer. The rest is pipe dreams Blogs.
The. French have been well known to love a good Coq
All hail le Coq sportif!
I wonder what the most important thing is. Did he mention?
Fierce competition in that DM role behind Matuidi and Pogba. Cabaye and Schneiderlin will battle it out for that spot but Coq can be competing with them soon. He’s Playing in a better league and team than Gonalons (didn’t get called up). Kondogbia is a B2B similar to Matuidi. Hopefully Coq will get his first call up before the Euro’s 2016.
Pogba’s not a DM. Matuidi can play there but it’s not his best position.
Whether Coq gets selected or not probably depends more on the manager’s tactics than anything else. If he wants a really 100% DM he will pick Coq (assuming his form continues). If he wants to go with a 4-3-3 type thing instead and share around the DM duties among two or three players, Coq probably won’t make the cut.
Either way I could see him being in the squad for games where more defensive focus is really needed, even if he’s not in the first 11.
I think they meant behind them as a positional thing on the pitch, rather than behind them in the queue.
You misunderstood what i said. I meant Matuidi and Pogba play as the CM’s and they have a DM behind them. Descahamps usually plays a 4-3-3 with France so there is room for a DM to play behind these 2. Hope Coq will be in contention for that spot.
Oh, ha ha. Indeed. My bad.
Good luck Coquelin….were gonna need you. Maybe the Jeff will join you?
You are forgetting… THE JEFF!
im quietly confident of a coq like emergence, there are players who could make a leap .The Ox looks likely, I’m still hopeful for theo, jack is back, maybe a youth prospect. There’s always at least one
If a Martial can get his chance *period…*, Francis MUST be selected very soon !
Who doesn’t love Coq?
I’ll show myself out.
no, no. It’s Sanogo who gets the goal!
I think it was implied that by the time this all comes to pass, Sanogo would have secured his place as France’s first choice goalkeeper.
What do you think they are smoking at the Blogs Headquarters, Blogs????
Our Coq was massive last season and im sure he will continue to grow this season into a jawdropping sight to behold and just go on to Ram France into the Euro 16 final one ass at a time 😉
To far? Hehe
Hoping as much as the missus is that the coq has the staying power to perform well in France (going there next week)
Last year he covered our desperate need for a DM and did a very good job, can be do same in the CF position?!
Nah, this year it’s Campbell’s turn to become our mid-season saviour for a needed position.
Man I had no idea of Arsenal’s amazing history.
Not only the first club in modern history in Britain to go undefeated in a season, but we even won the World Cup too.
Apparently. 😛
I don’t think Arsenal won the World Cup. Typo up there
THEY WON THE WORLD CUP DAMNIT! STOP RUINING MY VERSION OF HISTORY!
FRANCE 3-0 BRAZIL
Midfielder Emmanuel Petit wrapped up the scoring in the 90th minute, after receiving a perfect through ball from his Arsenal team mate Patrick Vieira, putting the victory beyond all doubt by slotting the ball low into the net.
And dear gooner, this is how Arsenal indeed managed to win the world cup!
So, spare the Blogs if you please
West Ham supporters have been explaining this domestic-international connection since ’66.
Well he’s better than Sissoko by a mile.
I really hope he doesn’t miss out because of injury.
Surely wenger, along with the rest of us, will be praying his Coq doesnt get injured.
So he basically has to compete against pogba,kondogbia, schneiderlin and matuidu to get in. Given his more defensive style the closest competitor is kondogbia. I bet he can get in if he pays well
PLAYS* we are a club founded on merit not money
Well played there. Well taken rebound
I do not want to share my Coq with the French national team. He’s just fine playing all his football with the Arsenal.
Since Giroud plays for both teams, your Coq isn’t really missing out either way
And Boss..
And Debuchy.
Surely the water carrier knows what Francis can bring to the team.
Call me biased but I think Coquelin is already a better DM than all of the above including Kondogbia.
Hello Biased
Nice to meet you Biased.
He is good but hasn’t pulled up any trees yet so relax. If he really was stinking good then he’d walk into any team which i doubt he can at the moment. At Arsenal he seems fine but in a different set up he may be exposed for his weaknessess aka passing and build up.
You clearly misunderstand what le Coq does. He hasn’t been asked to pull up trees. His job is to fell opposition forwards with a single well-placed blow from an axe, uh, sorry, with a single well-placed and legal tackle.
Wenger raw dealed us over a striker before we knew Welbeck was injured and now this. He basically lied to us. Shows us how comfortable he has gotten. He is the club now. We need to stop this somehow!
“and now this” – so Coquelin wanting to play for France in the Euros is all Wenger’s fault?
Think everything is now Wengers fault. Even global warming.
Welbeck’s longer than expected injury is a great opportunity for Joel Campbell.
Like Le Coq, he can also make the leap at 23yrs.
Those who are eager to pronounce the limits of a player in improving should take note that like Walcott and Ramsey Coquelin was 23 when he made the unpredicted improvement
Many of the world’s best players were unfinished product until 23yrs.
Coquelin can go on to be one of the world’s top defenders.
There is such a thing as internal improvement unless of course you are the simpleton media or worse someone who follows them.:D
We have currently Jack and Welbeck out to injury.
But this is a balance squad with plenty of cover as many players can function in more than one role. Point in case Walcott as an alternate type player up top:
CF – Giroud, Welbeck
RW – Ox, Campbell
LW – Alexis, Walcott
AM – Ozil, Jack
CM – Santi, Ramsey
DM – Coquelin, Arteta
MM – Rosicky, Flamini
RB – Bellerin, Debuchy
LB – Monreal, Gibbs
CB – Per, Calum
CB – Koscielny, Gabriel
GK – Cech, Ospina, Martinez
I think he meant the national team took his coq away
Cringe…Coq Le Gaulois.
Blogs I love your articles but in terms of clichés, that one is so, so, so so tired. Really
On the topic…well I wish him well, he should be called but the competition is fierce.
Wasn’t me 😉
COQ is the only player with Alexis that they don’t need competition to give all every 90 minutes when are playing.