2. Francis Coquelin is the best out-and-out CDM we have at the club
After his loan spell at Charlton Francis Coquelin has returned to North London and taken his chance with both hands. The tough tackling Frenchman has provided far more bite in the Arsenal midfield and he isn’t afraid to get stuck in. He does the simple things extremely well, breaking up the play and passing the ball on to the more attack minded players. Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini don’t provide this kind of protection, and the way that Arsenal play, in a rather expansive fashion means a player like Coquelin is needed. At 22 his game still needs a lot more work, his distribution long and short isn’t of the highest standard, but his defensive positioning and anticipation is fantastic. He’ll never be the world-class player Arsenal need in this position but he is a more than able back-up, his recent performances showing just how a holding midfielder should play the game.