Arsenal legend, Martin Keown, reckons that Francis Coquelin needs to add goals to his game if he’s going to have a chance of breaking into the Gunners’ first team.
- Keown: Ozil needs to be challenged every week to perform
- Keown: This is what Arsenal are saying about Jack Wilshere behind the scenes
- Keown hails Wilshere’s brilliance & vision, so why give Ozil such a hard time?
During Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to FC Cologne on Thursday evening, Coquelin seemed keen to score his first goal in red and white. The midfielder hit the post once after another effort went wide.
Keown believes that the Frenchman must feel he needs to add goals to his game if he’s going to have any hope of regaining a first team spot.
“It’s [Ainsley] Maitland-Niles that has really impressed me on that left-hand side,” Keown said on BT Sport at half time.
“He manages to break forward, (Danny) Welbeck as well, they’ve been dominant there.
“Coquelin, the anchor midfield player, has had a little taster on this occasion.
“Jack (Wilshere) looks very fit to me, athletic in that role, so there are lots of plus points.
“He (Coquelin) does (look desperate for a goal) and I think he probably feels he has to add something extra to his game to get into what is the A-team, this is the B-string team playing.
“You look at it and wonder which players can break in, I suppose, to the Saturday team.”
Coquelin has never scored for Arsenal and there’s a reason for that: he’s a defensive midfielder. Fine, he’s not a very good one and everyone knows I’m not his biggest fan but, credit where it’s due, at least he had a go against FC Cologne when others weren’t.
Coquelin goes close with a shot outside the box – Cologne vs Arsenal pic.twitter.com/VmimhcQsiR
— ArsenalEdits__ (@ArsenalEdits___) November 23, 2017
Granit Xhaka has only scored four times for the Gunners and they were all last season but no one’s complaining about his lack of goals.
Keown himself only netted seven during his entire nine-year career in north London. Why? Because he was a centre-back. It wasn’t his job to be banging in the goals. While Coq plays in a slightly more advanced position and it would be a bonus if he could find the back of the net, it’s not a direct requirement.
I’m far more concerned about him passing the ball off the pitch within seconds of kick-off than his failed attempts to score.