Francis Coquelin, an important cog in Arsenal FCa s midfield, revealed to Daily Mail that Robert Pires played an integral role behind his meteoric rise in status.
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Arsene Wenger was forced to recall Coquelin midway in his loan with Charlton Athletic due to an injury crisis at Arsenal. Since then, Coquelin proved his worth and has established himself as a vital member for the Gunners in the space of 10 months.
The midfield enforcer disclosed that his game improved following Arsenal legend Piresa advice. Pires, 41, regularly trains at London Colney HQ to maintain his fitness, helps out the youngsters with his advice.
Coquelin, quick to praise Pires for his advice, said a I have good people around me; Robert Pires gives me tips and advice.a
Coquelin admitted watching Pires play as a kid and was pleased to have received such close attention from such a great player.
a He is a French player and as a young kid I was watching him play for France a lot. Ita s always nice to get tips from someone like that.a
Coquelin though admits that his game has improved following Piresa advice, ita s not always pleasant to hear from him. Pires doesna t like to hold back while analyzing a performance and would be upfront about it.
a Hea s quite honest and if you havena t played well hea s not going to hide it from you.a
The report went on to add Coquelina s reaction to the victory in Manchester United following their shock defeat to Olympiakos in the midweek Champions League fixture.
a We knew we had to put it right after Olympiakos and thata s what wea ve done.a
Coquelin pointed out Arsenala s victory against United proves that Arsenal are getting close and will need to be consistent if they are to win the league.
a We are getting stronger against the big teams. We beat Manchester City last season, now United. Ita s all about consistency.
a The league is getting tougher because even the smaller teams are beating the bigger teams. So we need to be getting results every week.a