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 .