Joining Arsenal in January 2006, Abou Diaby immediately looked a bargain at £2m with his powerful displays in the centre of midfield. The potential of the Frenchman was there for all to see but his excellent form was sickeningly pulled to a halt on 1st May when Dan Smith mistimed his lunge and caused a severe ankle fracture.
Diaby was told that the injury could possibly be career-ending as the Frenchman painfully missed out on playing in the Champions League final and the Under-21 European Championship finals. Thankfully, after no less than three separate surgeries on his ankle and eight months of rehabilitation, Diaby did return from the injury in a League Cup match against Liverpool (which Arsenal won 6-3).
Since the infamous injury sustained against Sunderland Abou Diaby has suffered from 28 more injuries. This really highlights the importance of the injury and how much it has affected Diaby’s progress at the club. From being one of the brightest prospects in world football he has become a much disliked figure by the fans for his unreliability to stay fit and inconsistency on the pitch.
Despite this, Diaby has always been rated very highly by the managers and coaches he has worked with. When returning to fitness Wenger has always found a way to fit the compatriot into his team and that has arguably been the reason behind the recurrence of Diaby’s injuries. Wenger has never been shy of comparing the powerful midfielder to Patrick Vieira which is enough of a compliment in itself.
Recently, Laurent Blanc showed his support for Abou with an astounding statement:
“Diaby is an incredible player. I hope he will be fit soon, I want to bring him to Euros next summer.”
L’Equipe followed this up by putting Diaby down as one of just 7 players that are certainties to make Euro 2012 with players like Nasri, Ribery and Sagna not even included in the list.
Finally back in full training the athletic midfielder is ready to return from a five month lay-off and the Arsenal fans are hoping they may finally see the real Abou Diaby.
I was actually really happy to see the pics of Diaby training. I know he can’t help his injuries & just hope he’s back for good cause he certainly doesn’t deserve all the misfortune.
Great article and video. I was wondering if you could link me to the L’equipe article where they state the 7 players certain to travel to the Euros?
Unfortunately I can’t as I got the information off of a French Journalist’s timeline on Twitter!
If you find Matt Spiro on Twitter and go on his timeline you should be able to find the information yourself.
Blanc is right, Diaby is incredible. He would, without a doubt in my mind, be considered one of the world’s premier midfielders had he not had such horrendous luck with injuries. He has everything – strength, technique in abundance, vision, great finish, strong in the tackle, pace and the ability to run with the ball.
Unfortunately every time he comes back into the squad, the flaws that have plagued him – lack of sharpness/concentration, indecision – all direct results of not being completely in tune with his body, are highlighted.
But the fact is that Diaby is way too far above reserve-team level for rehabilitation, plus with a form player returning from injury, you need to give him minutes whenever he’s fit to get his rhythm and start dominating games. If he’s under-performed at Arsenal, it’s never been because he’s not good enough.
Whenever he’s had a run of games he’s come through as one of our best players, so you can’t say he’s incapable of consistency. As was the case with RVP, dips in his form have largely been a consequence of damage to his body not, as popular opinion suggests, lack of ability or desire.
His ankle was basically reconstructed, his body’s been slightly off balance ever since and when fit, he’s still playing top-level football. When the body has to cope with a shift in balance, as is the case with Diaby, one will naturally pick up strains and pulls. There was nothing anyone could do about his recurring injuries save for
reconstructive surgery, which is what has happened to essentially save his career as he’s approaching his peak years.
Here’s hoping he has a RVP-style rebirth and really shows the world what he’s made of this time. we need him this year.
This article would be great if it was’nt for Diaby being injured yet again after one single sub appearance.
If he was on a pay as you play contract he would be picking up incapacity benefit!