After the worrying news that first choice holding midfielder Francis Coquelin will be out for some time, Arsene Wenger attempted to look on the bright side, saying that this could provide a good opportunity for those players who wouldn’t usually start week in, week out.
The Arsenal manager has identified a couple of replacements to fill the void, saying that the squad possesses “players who can compensate.”
We have players who play in this position, like Flamini. We have players like Chambers [too], because he has been educated as a central midfielder.
The Frenchman has impressed this year when called upon, adding intensity to the game as well as showing his surprising goalscoring prowess.
Calum Chambers, often in the squad but not the pitch this season, has been touted as a holding midfielder since he was signed due to his technical ability – however, his one outing last season, paired with Coquelin against Southampton, resulted in an underwhelming individual performance and a 2-0 defeat.
In any case, it appears Arsene trusts the young Englishman in that position should Flamini fail to impress, but still laments the loss of Coquelin.
It is of course a disappointment to lose him on the longer term…. We have lost a player of quality for a while.
