Francis Coquelin has praised Arsenal legend Robert Pires for his advice and support during training, whilst the midfielder also demanded a focus on the Champions League.
The 24 year old rose to prominence last season, after originally being loaned out to Charlton, his Arsenal future seemed all but over. But thanks to his desire, a bit of fortune, and some good training, Coquelin is now an essential part of the Arsenal eleven. He praised Pires:
‘I have good people around me; Robert Pires gives me tips and advice,’
‘He is a French player and as a young kid I was watching him play for France a lot. It’s always nice to get tips from someone like that.
‘He’s quite honest and if you haven’t played well he’s not going to hide it from you.’
On the Olympiacos game Coquelin said: ‘Obviously when you get a disappointment like that you need to face it and talk about it and that’s what we’ve done.
‘We came back really strong with ambition. It was a completely different team out there.
Coquelin, who showed his passion on Sunday is now demanding the club focuses on the Champions League, and despite the need to beat Bayern Munich, he, and his teammates remain confident.
‘We need to put things right in the Champions League now. We don’t really take notice [of what people say about Wenger].
‘We knew we had to put it right after Olympiacos and that’s what we’ve done.
‘We are getting stronger against the big teams. We beat Manchester City last season, now United. It’s all about consistency.
‘The league is getting tougher because even the smaller teams are beating the bigger teams. So we need to be getting results every week.’