Francis Coquelin has brought balance in Arsenal's midfield, says Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has vested massive praise on Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin following the Frenchman's brilliant performance against Burnley in a hard fought 1-0 win for the Gunners at Turf Moor.

The Frenchman remarked that Coquelin has brought some much needed balance to the team by instilling a few qualities in the middle of the park, which the others lacked.

The 23-year-old made 11 interceptions, more than any other player on the pitch and kept the Burnley attack at bay, who were troubling the Arsenal defence with long balls and their physical presence up top.

It has been a fairytale return to first team action for the player, who was on loan at Championship club Charlton not long before the turn of the year and would not have had made a comeback, had it not been for Arsenal's injury problems in the middle of the park.

The Frenchman took the opportunity in his stride and has been an irrevocable part of the Gunners side since then, marshalling the middle of the pitch while allowing the likes of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey to express themselves further forward on the pitch.

His emergence has also alleviated talk of a defensive midfielder at Arsenal, who have been linked with a move for Morgan Schneiderlin in the summer to act as a midfield barrier.

Wenger, in his post match press conference, lauded the midfielder for his hard work he has put in for the team in their latest triumph.

"First of all he's shown his individual quality winning the ball and passing it quickly, and he's very strong in the challenges. He also contributes to the balance of the team and that's very difficult to measure. You know that the balance of the team sometimes depends on one player who has some characteristics that the others don't. He looks like he has hugely contributed to that," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

The Gunners are currently second in the league, four points behind leaders Chelsea, who have two games in hand.