This stat proves how vital Francis Coquelin has been to Arsenal

The praise for Arsenal's impressive recent form has fallen mostly on players such as Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky.

But this statistic suggests it should probably be going the way of Francis Coquelin. The midfielder has not only being a lynchpin for the Gunners, Coquelin also leads the Premier League, since December 28, in interceptions, ahead of even Chelsea's Nemanja Matic. Coquelin signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal this week, and has potentially saved the club millions in transfer fees in the process. Arsenal have long needed a defensive midfielder and Coquelin looks to have solved the problem position. For the 23-year old to have more interceptions than Matic, widely regarded as the best player in that position in the league, is pretty impressive. The French midfielder has five interceptions so far in the game between Arsenal and Spurs. Hat-tip to The Metro.