Francis Coquelin Injury: Arsenal Midfielder Injures Leg vs. Chelsea
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Arsenal's Francis Coquelin picked up an injury during the Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday.
As shared by the Premier League's official Twitter account, he was forced to leave the pitch early in the London derby:
Coquelin's latest setback is a blow to Arsenal's ambitions—though perhaps not as big as it might have been in seasons past.
After years of fans calling for Arsene Wenger to bring in a top-quality holding midfielder, the Frenchman emerged from the Gunners' youth setup and fully broke into the first-team in the 2014-15 season.
Coquelin quickly became the player Arsenal needed, adding strength, bite and composure into their midfield.
BEN STANSALL/Getty ImagesLast season, Opta's stats revealed (h/t Goal) the Gunners were far more vulnerable at the back in his absence—conceding more shots and chances, making fewer successful tackles and keeping fewer clean sheets—ultimately shipping more goals when he's not on the pitch.
Arsenal also suffer going forward without the midfielder in the side, as they create fewer "big" chances per game when he's absent.
However, after the arrivals of Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka, the Gunners have a healthy complement of players to call on in midfield—each capable of winning the ball and retaining possession with strong distribution.
Given Arsenal's tendency to suffer multiple injuries each season, it's still important they have as many of their best players available as possible as they battle on four fronts, but in this case, Wenger's dealings in the transfer market have left them capable of dealing with Coquelin's absence.
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