Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has said that Francis Coquelin was a huge miss for the side as they opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.

Junior Fernandes added to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's own goal in Croatia, and it wasn't until Coquelin's introduction after the hour mark that Arsene Wenger's men began to get a foothold in the game.

Parlour told Sky Sports News: "For me, the man they missed most was Francis Coquelin in midfield.

"For me he's the man in midfield who makes the tackles and wins the ball and they got overrun sometimes in midfield. When he come on there was a big change in how they played, so he was a big loss.

"Defensively they know they need to be solid and hit them on the break, so it was a disappointing night and performance. On the night, the sending-off didn't help and they are up against it."

Arsenal travel to Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime.

Written by
Paul Gorst