Francis Coquelin is determined to take his chance at Arsenal and claims he wants to follow in the footsteps of club legend Patrick Vieira . The Frenchman has thrived in the centre of Arsenal 's midfield since returning from loan at Championship side Charlton earlier in the season to earn plaudits for his robust performances . Vieira was captain during Arsenal 's trophy laden beginning to Arsene Wenger 's reign and Coquelin hopes he can keep performing to emulate the club legend . Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin , who has become an integral part of their midfield , celebrates with fans . ' I ’ m not going to say to you I am ( the new Vieira ) , obviously I want to be but I think it ’ s down to the performance I put in every week so I ’ m just trying to give me best every game so hopefully I can do that in the long term , ' Coquelin told BT Sport . On loan at Charlton , the 23-year-old feared he may not play for the Gunners again . 'Well , obviously that was in my head and I think at the time my loan had finished the first month . I could see the injuries over there , I think Arteta was out , Ramsey and it was the time for me to either extend my loan or come back and I extended it and thought maybe I won ’ t get the chance now , ' added Coquelin . The midfielder is determined to prove himself at Arsenal and hold down his place in the starting XI . The 23-year-old is not shy of putting in a robust challenge on opponents as he adds steel to Arsenal 's midfield . ' I always had confidence in myself and belief in myself I just need the chance . I got the chance because other people got injured and tried to grab it with both hands and do as well as I could , ' he told BT Sport . Arsenal have been much maligned in recent seasons for lacking grit and strength in the centre of the park , but Coquelin is happy to focus on the defensive side of the game . 'The way I think is that I ’ m just trying to do what ’ s best for the team . There are other players who can do this job and I ’ m trying to focus on mine which is to get the ball back and help the team defensively , ' added the 23-year-old . Coquelin , tackling Manchester City 's David Silva , has managed to establish a starting place in the Arsenal XI . 'Obviously sometimes you want to get involved a little bit more because we play great football and this is Arsenal , you always want to get involved moving forward . But you need to think about the defensive aspect and that is what my job is all about . ' Arsene Wenger 's side have been in top form in the Premier League , winning their last six matches to close the gap on Manchester City in second and establish a place in the prestigious top four . The Gunners take on Liverpool at the Emirates on Saturday in a pivotal clash in the race for Champions League football , but Arsenal 's 'new Vieira ' is confident . 'We obviously want to win this game you know , it ’ s a massive one , really important and we can increase the gap to nine points if we win so yes , I think it ’ s really important , ' said the Frenchman . ' I can ’ t say definitely because mathematically it won ’ t be over , so I can ’ t say that , but yes we see a lot of confidence in us because over the last few months we have had some big results and if we can beat Liverpool it will be another massive one . ' Coquelin celebrates with countryman Olivier Giroud as Arsenal managed to win every game in March . See the full interview with Francis Coquelin on ‘ Matchday Live with Fletch & Sav ’ from 10am this Saturday on BT Sport 1 . Guests include Ian Wright , Harry Redknapp , Piers Morgan and Michael Owen .
The 23-year-old has become an integral part of Arsenal 's starting XI . Francis Coquelin was on loan at Charlton earlier in the season . Arsenal face Liverpool at the Emirates on Saturday in a crucial clash .