Francis Coquelin may just be the best anchorman in the Premier League, according to Gilberto Silva, the man whose outstanding work the Frenchman has been tasked with replicating in the Arsenal engine room.
It is little over a year since the 24-year-old returned from a loan spell at Championship side Charlton, tasked with plugging a hole amid one of Arsene Wenger’s annual injury crises.
A string of outstanding performances alongside Santi Cazorla swiftly turned Coquelin into a crucial member of Arsenal’s first team and convinced his manager that he did not need to spend heavily on a defensive midfielder in January.
Coquelin’s standing has only risen over the past two months, which he has spent on the sidelines recovering from a knee ligament injury sustained in defeat to West Brom. In his absence Arsenal have won just six league matches, three against the current bottom four and two against Bournemouth.
The midfielder will likely make his first Premier League start since picking up the injury at home to Leicester, tasked with slowing the progress of the league leaders and overcoming Claudio Ranieri’s own dynamo in the middle of the park, N’Golo Kante.
That is a task that Gilberto, speaking exclusively to 888sport.com, believes Coquelin can achieve.
“He is improving game by game and from last season to this one he is much better,” he said. “He is getting to know his position well and that’s important because his role is to allow those up front to play while protecting the back four. He will be very important for Arsenal in the final third of the season.”
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“He is a young player and what he’s done for Arsenal in the short time he’s been playing has been great. When I was at Arsenal I was older, with more experience and big guys around me.
“He is proving himself over and over and I hope he is at Arsenal for a long period because for any team to have a player who is willing to do the hard job then it makes it harder for the opposition to pass through your defence.”
There could be few greater tests for Coquelin on his return to the Premier League starting lineup, having also started in the FA Cup fourth round, than Leicester and their in-form midfield.
And with Ranieri’s side five points clear going in to Sunday’s clash Arsenal can scarcely afford to drop points. However Gilberto has not given up hope on his former side picking up a first title since he was at the heart of the Invincibles side in 2004.
“I think Arsenal can win the league but that depends how well they do in the crucial games,” he said. “Leicester is one of them and from now on every point Arsenal drop will make Leicester believe more. Arsenal have not won the league in a long time but I believe they have a great chance this season.”
“It’s important for Arsenal to have a very defensive mind considering what Leicester can do. They must mark well throughout the whole field from the guys up front to the midfield protecting the back four. They must close the space because we all know what a great job Vardy has done this season. That starts from the front and it is important to mark well as a team.”
Read the full 888sport interview with Gilberto Silva here, including how he thinks Francis Coquelin's return will boost Arsenal to the title.