Francis Coquelin has been speaking about both Arsenal’s turning point this season, and his own turning point at a player.

Coquelin admitted that playing as a defensive midfielder didn’t come easily to him. He was too concerned with showing off in front of the manager instead of doing his job.

“When you are young, every time you get a minute and he tells you to go and sit you want to show you can do loads of things. Obviously with time you understand what you are good at.”

Good at it‘ he is.

The Frenchman went on to talk about Arsenal’s turning point this season and starting against the previous title holders.

“A big one is probably Man City because people were thinking: ‘You’re going in with Coquelin in midfield? Against Man City? You’re going to get smashed.’ And we won 2-0,” he revealed.

On the team’s title hopes, he said, “After what we’ve done in 2015 we will be aiming, next season, to fight for the title.” Although he admits this is a new development, “I think there was a point where big players were leaving the club and it didn’t look attractive to the top players. And then I think signing Santi was the first step. I remember his first training session. Everyone knew: this one is from another planet. If you’re someone who doesn’t love football, you will love it after looking at him. And Mesut was a turning point. The very top players want to come to Arsenal because they can see the team is strong.”

What’s touching to see is the genuine pride the 23-year-old has for playing for Arsenal. He has ambition with the team, not just by himself, and he seems like he’s got his head screwed on properly.

His rise during the last six months has been nothing short of spectacular and it just goes to show that never giving up paid off.

During the Arsenal Hub launch that he and Per Mertesacker attended earlier this week, the player wrote a message for the possible attendees of the sports education centre on the dressing room wall:

“The most important thing in life is to never GIVE UP,” it said.