Although it has been a rather torrid start for the Gunners thus far this season, it has still been pleasing to view the customary batch of talent making its way through the ranks and breaking sporadically into the First Team. Although Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made the headlines for his midweek Champions League performance, its Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin that have really stood out for me. Both players have put in assured performers well above the usual standard of players their age and more importantly still have played with passion, and a lack of fear.
With this in mind, there could well be a battle for the defensive midfield position at Arsenal in the years to come. Considering that both players have boundless energy and are natural born fighters, this is sure to be a battle that’ll be a delight to watch unfurl. As things stand however, it’s difficult to call who is most likely to take up a more permanent role in Arsenal’s midfield.
In the hype stakes it’s clear that Frimpong is the frontrunner. He’s been in and out of the proceedings at the club for a while now and only a long-term injury prevented him from getting more chances sooner. Conversely, Coquelin seems to have gone somewhat under the radar.
He may well have been a part of the Old Trafford massacre but he was actually subbed off at 3-1, when there still appeared to be a chance that the Gunners could get back into the game. Thoughout his Premier League debut he hadn’t looked too out of place and generally put himself about well and got stuck in.
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Emmanuel Frimpong also enjoyed a nice debut against Liverpool, that is, until he was sent off.
Whilst each player is fantastically energetic and possesses equal desire and ability when it comes to winning back the ball, I’d argue that Coquelin appears to be the better player when it comes to picking out a pass or driving play forward.
Frimpong does sometimes seem to play balls that go nowhere, whilst Coquelin never seems to give the ball away. He’s aware of all the movement around him and has the ability to pick out the appropriate pass. In this respect he reminds me somewhat of Mathieu Flamini, in his capacity to control play and get from box-to-box.
As much as I like Frimpong, I have to say that at this early stage in each player’s career, Coquelin has the best raw potential. Of course anything might happen, and either player may go through a development-spurt, but it seems to me that the Frenchman is most likely to make it long-term at the club. The fact that we’re even having this discussion however, is a good sign for the future of Arsenal football club.
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Coquelin is 2nd to Song in DM, the boy has great potential if he can work on timing his tackles; I witnessed A. Young turn him inside out b4 firing in his 1st score. Wenger should think using this boy with song in midfield. Finally, arsene should give chance 2 ryo & chamberlain ahead of gerv, walcott & arshavin. These boys might giv us the answer. Why did wenger buy park?
Coquelin gets my vote. He plays intelligently from what i see and has a good eye for passes that help to push the team out of their own half. Defensively he seems very strong and even shows patience in his tackles. Frimpong seems a little more reckless.