The shocking stats that show how much Arsenal REALLY miss Coquelin

Arsenal appeared to be runaway title favourites after beating Manchester City six days ago, but their Boxing Day mauling at the hands of Southampton highlighted that they are still missing one key thing: a defensive midfielder.

This time last year, Francis Coquelin returned from loan to fulfil that role, quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League's best destroyers - but an injury sustained in November has once again left Arsenal short.

In the five games Coquelin has been absent since then, the Gunners have only played one team in the top half of the table, while three are currently 17th or lower. Despite the lower standard of opposition, Arsenal's defensive stats have fallen off a cliff.

They have conceded more shots (on and off target), given up more big (or clear-cut) chances, conceded more goals per game and kept fewer clean sheets - while their attacking stats have also taken a hit.

From creating 2.05 big chances per game MORE than they conceded while Coquelin was in the team, Arsenal now create 0.4 FEWER than their opponents - an astonishing swing.

As further evidence of Arsenal's defensive struggles and lack of balance without Coquelin, the Gunners have only kept one clean sheet in the matches he has missed this season (16%) compared to six in the 12 games he has played (50%).

It is no surprise, therefore, that Arsenal have been linked with signing a defensive midfielder this January, with reports that a fee has already been agreed for FC Basel's Mohamed Elneny. But can the Egyptian fill the void left by Coquelin in recent weeks?...