Profile: Vassiriki Abou Diaby
ByIn the next instalment of the player profile series on Stone Cold Arsenal, the spotlight falls on one of Arsenal’s most promising superstars – our midfield powerhouse.
Vassiriki Abou Diaby
Born:
Vassiriki Abou Diaby
11 May 1986
Paris, France
In the last 4 years, no Arsenal player has divided opinion amongst Arsenal supporters and football commentators alike as much as this young man. The Frenchman, who is of Ivorian descent, landed in North London in January 2006, and even then, many had started making comparisons between him and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who had only just left Arsenal for the ’Old Lady’ of Turin.
Saying goodbye to a legend is always a painful task and it was unsurprising that many Arsenal followers and media commentators assumed that Wenger would swiftly look for a ’replacement’ for Vieira. I suppose it was extremely naive to assume that a total footballer like Vieira could be replaced. Players like him don’t grow on trees. Diaby’s billing as the potential replacement for the former Arsenal captain was somewhat nostalgic and perhaps unfair to the young Frenchman.
Before his arrival at Arsenal, Diaby had a patchy career making 12 appearances for AJ Auxerre where he only scored 1 career goal. In addition, he had made promising appearances for a very successful France Under 19 national team, captaining his country at this level during a successful European campaign. By then, Wenger and his scouts had seen enough to convince them that Arsenal was the place for Diaby’s talents.
Diaby had probably the worst start when his ankle was broken 4 months into his Arsenal career in a nothing game against Sunderland who were already relegated from the Premier league. The culprit Dan Smith took Diaby’s ankle out in a needless and reckless challenge that could have ended the career of such a promising footballer. Poetic justice would have it that 4 years down the road, Dan Smith is now a carpenter having exhausted most if not all the footballing opportunities that he had. Nevertheless, his dangerous tackle ensured that Diaby was out of football for at least a year, a period which undoubtedly affected his progress and development.
His next 3 years were characterised by periods of stops and starts as he became a frequent flyer into the medical room at London Colney. Conventional wisdom suggests that players coming back from long term injury usually get niggles as they try to get some consistency. Some would argue that Diaby’s injury prone spell went way past niggles and little knocks and became a habit.
The young Frenchman recently confessed that his state of mind was affected during the last period blighted by injury. At one point he actually thought of quitting football altogether and looking for another career. I guess as supporters, we don’t think enough of what impact injuries have on the mental state of a player who really just wants to play football. It is testament to Diaby’s perseverance though that he kept at it and worked hard to keep himself in the frame.
The one aspect that has been frustrating for any cross section of fans around is that during the last 2 years, Diaby hasn’t shown his true potential either because of the injuries or because of inconsistent form. It’s a catch 22 anyway because without being fit and getting a lengthy run of games, it’s hard to build consistency and form. There have been glimpses of the brilliance and talent that Arsene Wenger has always seen in the young man, but there were also moments where confidence was an issue that affected his overall play. It was a common refrain from fans to hear “If only Diaby can remain fit and show us what he’s made of…”.
As with a handful of players that Wenger has kept faith with in the last few years, there were many fans who were vocal about the fact that Diaby may not be good enough to play for Arsenal. Sometimes though, it’s a good idea to acknowledge why Wenger is the manager and we’re not. The perseverance and hard work seem to be paying off and this season, Diaby has put together a run of games that is giving him the confidence to dominate the midfield and provide a presence and strength that Arsenal needs in the middle of the park. He has slowly but surely silenced his critics and many now accept that he has cemented a place in the preferred Arsenal starting line-up.
Some of his ‘man of the match’ performances have been imperious this season and have illustrated how valuable Diaby is to the Arsenal style of play. His individual shows of brilliance have led to some of Arsenal’s memorable goals of the season, and alongside Alex Song, Diaby is proving to be a dependable and inspiring midfield general.
This season, he is on track to score more goals than he has scored in his entire career, and that statistic alone tells its own story. Diaby for some reason seems to be fond of scoring spectacular goals against Aston Villa. In fact, one of my top 5 goals for Arsenal was a box to box move between Diaby and Eboue on boxing day 2008 when he and Eboue cruised past the Villa team like they didn’t exist before Diaby slammed the ball into the roof of the net.
Video: Watch Abou Diaby’s Goals’s and Assists for Arsenal in the last 3 and a half years.
Breath-taking doesn’t begin to describe that goal at Villa Park – considering how innocuous the move that started that goal was. Diaby emerged from a tussle outside our box with the ball before he and Eboue drove forward at pace in a series of 1-2s that bamboozled the Villa players and left Diaby with no choice but to slam the roof of the net.
I think that with Arsenal’s 4-3-3 style of play, the Frenchman is seeing his best form as the transition player of the 3 midfielders. By transition player, I’m thinking more of a player who effectively moves us from defence to attack and can competently do this in a number of ways depending on the situation. Whether it’s using pace and power, whether it’s using his talent to dribble with the ball stuck to his feet, or whether he emerges from tussles in our defensive third with his long telescopic legs driving him forward, Diaby’s influence in our transitions at pace from defence to attack is very tangible. Think of it as the bridge that weaves us between Song’s defensive influence and Fabregas’s magnificence in creativity.
In recent games, it’s become obvious to see the impact that Diaby has in the middle of the park and how his presence and power help drive the team forward in tight games. They are without a doubt, point saving performances as with the recent game against Everton – where Diaby pierced through the Everton bus parked in front of goal to set up the space for Rosicky our Little Mozart to fire in a last minute equalizer.
Considering Diaby is only 23, this young man is on his way to becoming one of the most influential attacking midfielders in the world. He isn’t the next Vieira, he simply is Abou Diaby. A good 2009-2010 season will for sure nail him a position in the Les Bleus squad for the 2010 World Cup.
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
Thoughtful posts, Darius, both regarding the finances, earlier, and in profiling Diaby.
He certainly is blessed with abundant talent. Let’s hope, with luck with regard to injuries, that he shows the application, and initiative, to make the most of it.
I’m so glad that we have Arsene Wenger as our manager, and that he can keep spotting, signing and developing players of the calibre of Diaby.
I think the key thing that has enabled Diaby to blossom this season – apart from being fit and healthy most of the time so far – is that his continued run in the team has enabled him to consistently work on those aspects of his game that required improvement, particularly his decision making about when to hold on to the ball and when to make a simple pass to a team mate.
If Diaby continues to improve and puts in the kind of performances we’ve seen from him in recent matches on a consistent basis, then it’ll only be a question of time before Real Madrid, Barcelona etc
come knocking at his door…only for Arsene to tell them where to go! Hehehehehe.
I’ve thought since I first watched him that out of the current crop, Song, Denilson and Diaby he looks like he has the most potential and that is saying something.
I think the Vieira comparisons where drawn not only because of timing but his massive stride and the way he seems to be able to juggle the ball at a flat out run.
What a player he is becoming, this season he and song seem to be winning fans over. With a good injury free run he will go from strength to strength. It should be known by all fans that Diaby worked all through the summer on his strength and bulked up for this season ahead, rather than resting. The guy has determination!
An excellent Diabi profiling there, Drius. It is very telling that not having the freedom to rove and scripted to principally defence duties, especially when Fabrigas is on, was very ristricting for Diaby; but when liberated he suddenly came to life and sparkled. That’s our Diaby. Now that Wenger feels confident enough to implement the 4-3-3, the confidence transmits to the players, and Diaby is at last showing there the promise was not a mirage.
Good one STA. Sorry bout d abbreviations, i mostly use a phone 2 do my daily blogs, hence d sms styled responses. I’v learnt 2 neva question wenger’s decision on a player. In d long run his usually right. His only ever mistake was jeffers & i’m sure that experience has led 2 him bein wary of english talents. As 4 my tots on diaby, lets wait & c what he makes of this opportunity given him. We wil b pleasantly suprised. I hav a prediction 2 make thou, diaby wil b a monster who wil b beta than song. When i say beta, i mean stronger, faster, greater header & dominator. He’l b like a kid who’s always tot his d smallest one in school only 2 find out he actually is d biggest. Diaby is stil learnin & when his done, every other midfielder wil b afraid, very afraid of goin near him. He wil b a success, let fools think otherwise @ their own peril.
Look its not that he is talentless as on those few accatons it is plain to see. But that is the issue. What is good about a good player is that he is constant. When we said of vieira that he had a realy good game was because of all the good performances he had producted to date that one was better than the rest.He had gone up a level. That is what makes an Arsenal player. Not the other way round, hoping that in a game he might be able to produce the goods, like diaby.
Same time frame is Song and he is producing to his ability. He has realised his potential. But in the end one should be able to say that he was give a fair crack but again he is no commanding holding DMF player. Now lets give JET a run!
Question. How many Arsenal players of the currant side would make it into an international/ world side ( apart from Ces ) . Then look back at our past sides. I dont need to name them as we all know them.
For ever a Gooner!
Emiel for me a world squad of 22 player, we would get Clichy, Vermo, Sagna, Song, Ces, Arshavin, RvP in easily.
Emiel: Els has just given you 7 names there. Now name 4 from current Chelsea and ManU players please, Emiel?
Wenger was asked at the pre-match press conference before the game with Everton, whether he’s going to buy a “big name” player.
In response, he asked the female journalist to define a big name player. That question went unanswered and Wenger further affirmed that according to him, a big name player for Arsenal is one who comes into the team and plays well because Arsenal is already a big name club.
I think there’s a fascination with only seeing players who come with a monumental price tag as being world class – yet time and time again Arsenal has proven that you don’t have to spend stupid money to get world class players.
Take current strikers for example – one measure of success is the number of goals scored and we all know Drogba and Torez are goal machines. However, that is the easier measure. It’s harder to get a player who is both a talented playmaker who links up play with panache, has a truck load of assists and scores a truck load of goals himself. A talisman of the highest order. Van Persie is one of the best in the world at doing that and his not a big nasty beast built like I don’t know what. In fact, you can count with your fingers how many goals Van Persie has scored with his head – and they ain’t many.
There’s a falsehood created by the media that since we don’t spend over £30 million to buy players then they aren’t world class.
The big name player thing, is childish. It’s like top trumps or your favourite superhero. Just somebody to come into the squad you can idolize and claim he’s better or harder than rivals players. Nobody seems interested in getting somebody talented and moulding them into a player that suits your team and creating ‘Big Names’.
A sign of a clever footballer (on the pitch that is) he is very interested religion, philosophy, science and astronomy.
But also a fantastic talent who where beginning to see the best of although he looked most impressive when he first signed for the club and consequently the Carling Cup Final where he had a barnstormer.
[...] game stood out in particular because of 2 individual shows of brilliance from Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna. Diaby’s individual thrust from box to box saw him unleash a screamer into the [...]
Excellent stuff dude. The new site looks awesome, the material is top notch also.
This is now my first port of call for Arsenal opinion.
Diaby always had the talent, you had to be blind to miss it. He is now an instant first choice in the side, a driving force. If he continues this form, injury free, he will be a world beater – the world cup may be his stage to show it.
Anyone Wenger plays that much, you just know now that he will come good. The manager might get the odd signing wrong, but if they keep getting starts sooner r later it happens.
Between Cesc, Song, Diaby, Denilson, Ramsey we have the most exciting midfield in the world. Barcelona may set the standard, but this group will elevate the level. Then there will be Wilshere also. Watch out.
arsenehollis
Great to have you on board and I’m glad you find the content of value.
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