Coquelin-Elneny partnership in midfield lends balance to Arsenal, says Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes that deploying Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin in midfield for Arsenal has helped bring more balance to the side. The Frenchman had to revert to the pair following an injury to Aaron Ramsey but it has worked out well for them thus far, with the Gunners unbeaten in the league since their introduction.

The Gunners have been without their first choice midfield pairing since November, with Santi Cazorla and Coquelin both missing out for over a couple of months with knee injuries. Cazorla is still recovering but Coquelin has been used alongside the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini, without much success. However, Elneny has slotted in seamlessly alongside the Frenchman since his move from Basel in January and given the Gunners hope that they can pull off a miraculous title triumph, which can be possible should they win their remaining seven games.

Wenger insists that unlike the Cazorla-Coquelin combination, where the Spaniard was more attacking and Coquelin had to step back to defend, here the load is more evenly distributed allowing both players to look after each other, both in defence and in attack. The former Malaga man is expected to be back in action in the next three to four weeks, while the Gunners have been handed a massive boost with Jack Wilshere returning to training this week.

"Both of them are improving offensively," Wenger told Arsenal's official website. "When Coquelin plays with Cazorla, Coquelin is the defensive player which made them a perfect pair. Then Coquelin focused more on defending and Cazorla more on attacking.

"Now both [Elneny and Coquelin] share the job, so the balance is a bit [better]. They're more similar. We have four attackers in front of them so we need people who can defend well in central midfield."