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Graphic: Check Out Francis Coquelin’s Hugely Impressive Statistics

By mac14 on March 27, 2015

Image: Express

Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has undoubtedly been one of the best defensive performers in the entire Premier League during 2015 and this graphic proves it.

Coquelin has been at Arsenal since joining the club in 2008 but looked to be heading for the exit door this summer after failing to make the breakthrough.

However, injuries to Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini forced Arsene Wenger to recall the Frenchman from a loan spell at Charlton in December and Coquelin was given a shock chance to save his career at the Emirates.

It’s fair to say he’s taken it with both hands as the 23-year-old has excelled in the defensive midfield role and dare I say he’s been the holding player we’ve been crying out for for years.

Coquelin has shown a tenacity in the middle of the park that we’ve lacked for some time but his stats are astounding. WhoScored compiled this graphic which shows he’s made almost 30 more tackles and interceptions than any other player in the Premier League in 2015.

In his 12 starts, Coquelin makes 3.6 tackles, 3.1 interceptions and wins 3.1 aerial duels per game while he makes over 40 passes. These figures are right up there with the likes of Nemanja Matic – who many assume is the best defensive midfielder in the league.

If there was one area he needs to improve it’s his passing as a completion rate of 83% is actually fairly low for a player in his position. To put it in perspective, Flamini’s is over 95%.

However, he can work on his passing and will no doubt improve over time, but Coquelin has all the raw attributes to be a formidable defensive midfielder.

Check out the graphic for yourself: