In 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.

Any military strategist will competently outline the monumental advantage and value of the art of ’stealth’. It’s the cornerstone of any military tactic in achieving victory when using the 3S’s – Speed, Surprise and Secrecy. The ability to go about your business without your adversaries noticing neither Hyde nor hair of you is invaluable and priceless in a long drawn out marathon like the 38 game Premier league.

So far, I think Arsenal has been fortunate in that expectation for us to challenge in anything is so low that the football establishment is unlikely to notice anything we do, let alone acknowledge it and give the team credit for it. I’ll be honest and say, this lack of recognition about what Arsenal is achieving and the need to take this team as serious title contenders can drive you up the wall. It’s only after being scraped off the ceiling and having time to reflect, do you then realise that actually, it’s not a bad thing after all.

Patience is no longer a valuable commodity in football, and Arsenal certainly doesn’t hold the monopoly of having fickle, ‘Johnny come lately’ glory hunting fans who want success now at all costs. The collective noise of such fans, coupled with the increasingly anti-Arsenal sentiments in the media establishment contribute to the very low expectation that there is for this team to achieve anything of substance this season.

What has been largely ignored is the collective growth and development that has taken place over the last 4 years at Arsenal. Building a team is not an easy thing, and more often than not, there’s an expectation that “buying” ready-made off the shelf players is the ultimate solution – notwithstanding the fact that this cavalier ’cheque book’ style of management has shaken the financial stability of many a club to the core.

Naturally, the progress made by individual players over the last period, as well as the mental strength and maturity shown by the team collectively, have been ignored as factors that are in Arsenal’s favour this season. Amidst the posterior kissing that constantly goes on in the media about the might and power of Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea; or the experience and finesse (or not) of Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United; a small forgotten fact is that Arsene Wenger the Professor is a natural born winner who refuses to sacrifice his purist values of total football for the sake of glory hunting.

Many critics have bemoaned the ability of the constantly touted potential of the young Arsenal team to come to fruition – it’s no wonder they are incapable of noticing when it happens. It’s fair to say, that until a trophy arrives at Ashburton Grove, it perhaps is pointless to expect any credit from the footballing establishment.

It’s for this reason that the manner in which Arsenal has slowly crept into 2nd place without much ado is to the team’s advantage. The team has been largely left alone to get on with the business of consolidating the work done over the last few years, and making sure that they do the simple things right, and in that process, improve collectively as a team.

By the time folks notice what is happening and are forced to take Arsenal as serious contenders, much of what needs to be done to mount a strong and sustained challenge will already be in place. Tis much better to operate this way when you think about it, than to try and force the issue with a largely anti-Arsenal establishment.

I have a confession to make. I like Alex Hleb. I like the way he seduces the ball, the way he dribbles and carries it past opponents as if they weren’t there. I like the way he opens tight spaces and creates a move out of nothing.

During the 2007-2008 season, Arsenal had a magnificent start and it was primarily due to the industry of Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky and Alex Hleb. They created an environment that allowed Cesc the maestro to flourish and it was a joy to watch. When Hleb eventually declared his intention to leave at the end of that season, it was a sad state of affairs for me at least.

Alex Hleb

We had already seen mercenary tendencies infiltrate our team with Flamini deciding that there was greener grass elsewhere, and Emmanuel Adebayor also testing waters with the “Beyonces” of the continental leagues. I wanted Hleb to stay at Arsenal, but it turned out that the lure to Barcelona was too much for Hleb.

It therefore saddens me whenever I read a story of Hleb expressing regret about leaving Arsenal. With us, he had a sure starting place, talented team players and an opportunity to thrive. At Barca, Hleb did no more than warm the Barca bench and it was sad to see him get wasted as Barcelona pulled in a haul of trophies in the season passed.

Hleb laments:

”I regret leaving Arsenal. I was playing every week for one of the most exciting sides in Europe. I was being guided by one of the best coaches in the world in Arsene Wenger. I
owe him a great deal. No player ever gets worse under Wenger. I developed a better all-round game under him. I became more robust physically.”

Sorry Alex, but you made your bed. It’s time to lie down. Besides, you made way for a one Samir Nasri and it’s hard to see how you’ll take that place back from Samir.