Abou Diaby demonstrates why he can be a Toure de force at Arsenal

Midfielder hoping to become his club’s version of the Manchester City ace after playing a starring role in victory at Anfield
James Olley3 September 2012

Both sides went into this fixture with question marks against their summer transfer dealings but Abou Diaby’s domineering performance offers hope he will vindicate Arsene Wenger’s decision not to replace Alex Song.

In tandem with Mikel Arteta, Diaby was central to winning the midfield battle that enabled the Gunners to establish control of a game Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla ultimately settled further forward with their goals.

Wenger will have enjoyed Diaby’s performance no end, especially as it came against Nuri Sahin, who joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Real Madrid after the Arsenal boss withdrew his interest because he felt he already had too many similar players.

Chief among them in Wenger’s thinking was Diaby. Sahin, anonymous before his 67th-minute substitution, was wrongly identified in some quarters as a replacement for Song — in fact his strength is in creating rather than breaking up play — but equally Diaby has rarely demonstrated the skills necessary to anchor a midfield.

Even the Arsenal website cites on his profile that Diaby is “arguably at his best in an advanced role”. More displays like this and an amendment will be required. Positional sense, defensive discipline and maturity in possession have all been valid criticisms but not yesterday. Arteta has become a superbly composed and consistent performer in Arsenal’s engine room and if Diaby can do the same, Wenger’s faith will finally be rewarded.

Countless Wenger bulletins over an apparent lack of transfer inactivity have included the caveat “Diaby is returning”, often to responses of indifference, and he has taken a considerable gamble in placing such prominence in a player with such a dire injury record.

The 26-year-old has started each of the Gunners’ first three Premier League games, which represents considerable progress after two years of intermittent activity.

He made just five appearances last season — all from the bench — because of a variety of injuries. Diaby featured on a regular basis in the two-year period between 2008 and 2010 — 60 starts across two seasons — but there always seemed to be a residue effect in his fitness from the bad ankle fracture he suffered in 2006 after a tackle by Sunderland’s Dan Smith at the tail end of the season.

Martin Skrtel received a caution for taking out Diaby just after half-time at Anfield yesterday and although he retreated into his shell for a period, completing 90 minutes was an encouraging response in durability terms.

“He has absolutely everything you want in midfield,” said Wenger. “He hasn’t played for a year but he had a good pre-season where we had him 45 minutes every three days and now he looks in good shape.”

Wenger has often faltered in identifying Diaby’s best position. Diaby was used several times on the left wing in a bizarre experiment that seemed destined to fail, with a frame that suggests central midfield is his certain fate.

Yesterday, he helped upset Liverpool’s passing rhythm but also gallivanted upfield to considerable effect.

Rather than pigeon-hole him as Song 2.0, Diaby believes the more salient comparison is with Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, who has demonstrated an intuition as to exactly when to sit deep and when to drive his team forward. That is the challenge before him.

“In our teams, Yaya Toure and me have very similar roles,” he said. “We can say that. I am not like Alex Song. We have many players who can take his place like [Francis] Coquelin or Mikel Arteta, who likes to play deep. I want to get forward — that’s me. I have defensive duties as well so I need to have a good shape defensively and, as soon as we get the ball, go forward.

“I have to thank the manager because I have had tremendous support and as a player it is really important to have that support, from your team-mates as well. I have to say that during this period, they helped a lot.

“I want to enjoy myself because I love football and to pay back the club, manager and team-mates as well.

“Mentally it was a hard time but I love football. Football is my passion so it doesn’t matter what happened, I need to look forward and that is what I have done in this situation.”

Wenger and counterpart Brendan Rodgers will both be searching for autumnal alchemy after a summer of change but Arsenal appear further advanced on this evidence.

Podolski finished clinically from Cazorla’s pass after 31 minutes before the pair reversed roles as the game entered its final quarter. In between, Per Mertesacker was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty in front of the Kop as Luis Suarez went down under a clumsy challenge but referee Howard Webb was unmoved.

Perhaps Webb was influenced by Suarez’s antic-riddled afternoon — the striker fell over more often than a three-legged horse — but in truth it was the only idea Liverpool had left without a target man to throw on. Andy Carroll was missed.

Diaby’s record season-by-season

2012-2013 Arsenal 3 games

3 starts (0 sub) 0 goals W1 D2 L0

2011-2012 Arsenal 54 games

0 starts (5 sub) 0 goals W2 D3 L0

2010-2011 Arsenal 58 games

17 starts (3 sub) 2 goals W9 D7 L4

2009-2010 Arsenal 55 games

35 starts (5 sub) 7 goals W25 D7 L8

2008-2009 Arsenal 61 games

25 starts (11 sub) 4 goals W17 D11 L8

2007-2008 Arsenal 58 games

20 starts (8 sub) 4 goals W19 D6 L3

2006-2007 Arsenal 59 games

13 starts (5 sub) 1 goal W6 D8 L4

2005-2006 Arsenal 59 games

11 starts (5 sub) 1 goal W7 D4 L5

Total 166 games: (124/42) 19 goals

W86 D48 L32 Win% 52

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