Arsenal Analysis: Abou Diaby Proves His Worth To Glorious Gunners

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EPL: Abou Diaby, Arsenal - Portsmouth (PA)

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Arsenal fans may have conflicting opinions about the body language, behavior and potential of their 23-year-old midfielder Abou Diaby, but there is nothing to argue about now that he has found his best position and strongest form.

Forget the performances of the past, for once, and let the statistics of the present do the talking. It is surely no coincidence that he has been an integral part of the team in the glittering run of a dozen unbeaten games since September 12?

Left out of the side at Everton, in the opening day bonanza, he came in for Alex Song in the midfield shield role - and scored twice against Portsmouth.

When Song returned, he was shifted into Cesc Fabregas' position at Manchester United and then replaced Andrey Arshavin at Manchester City. Both fixtures were lost, but the Arsenal performances were good, if not utterly convincing. The most notable feature of the defeat at Eastlands, in the end, was that Denilson was forced to come off with a back injury in the second half.

It transpired to be a stress fracture and it has kept the Brazilian out of action ever since. As so often, however, one man's misfortune was another man's opportunity and Diaby, given a chance to hold down a regular place in the side while Denilson recovered, has since flourished in his new role.

Previously seen as a utility player, capable of playing wide on the left, behind the main strikers or from an attacking midfield position, he was asked to take on the disciplined job of working with Song to protect the back four and create counterattacks. It was hardly natural to him, a Parisian with ideas of his own, an instinct to attack and a love of scoring goals.

But since that day, Arsenal have now gone 12 matches without defeat in all competitions, a run of sublime form that was embellished by Wednesday evening's sumptuous display of attacking football in the 4-1 Champions League Group H victory over AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium.

Typically, Diaby managed to score a goal, but it was his all-round game that caught the eye and his industry and power that helped Arshavin, Fabregas and Nasri deliver the goals against, admittedly, pretty hapless opponents.

His goal, from one of three Arshavin 'assists', came courtesy of his rangy running and ability to cover the ground rapidly, thus creating an easy passing opportunity for the sharp-eyed Russian.

And one of the chief reasons that the Alkmaar team struggled to play their way through Arsenal's midfield web was the sheer physical presence of Diaby, whose mental and physical strength has grown increasingly, season on season, since he fractured and dislocated an ankle in May 2006.

Only his enthusiasm to join every attack - an instinct that has sometimes caused Arsene Wenger to go apoplectic on the touchline - now appears to stand between him being a fine player and a great one. Indeed, with the right mentoring and guidance, he could well become not only a star of this Arsenal's galaxy, but one of the men to watch at next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa where his all-action, box-to-box game could be suited to the conditions, providing France qualify.

He knows some Arsenal fans find his laid-back appearance frustrating, but his sheer presence and his effectiveness is winning them over as his long-legged performances, near-telescopic tackling and swift distribution ensure maximum protection for Fabregas' freedom to roam. Critically, as Wenger has no doubt considered already, Diaby is four inches taller and more than a stone heavier than Denilson and, therefore, faster, stronger and more dangerous in attack.

With his height, too, Diaby can be hauled back when required for serious marking jobs at set-pieces as well as proving to be a danger at the other end. If he listens carefully to William Gallas, obeys Wenger's instructions and manages to balance his need for discipline with his instinct to attack, he could develop into a player to compare with Patrick Vieira.

Diaby has already been told this. "It is a compliment," he said. "But we are quite a bit different. I know that we play in the same position, and that physically we look similar, but our games are different in small ways as well." Modesty, and his obvious intelligence, stopped him from saying so, but Diaby can run with the ball, and use it like a natural forward; qualities that were not natural to Vieira's game. Similarly, the former captain had defensive power and leadership skills that are yet to emerge in the developing Diaby.

They will come in time, if he settles down and learns the disciplines of his new job. For Diaby, it is a chance to become a regular and supply some of the steel that some critics have demanded this team of entertainers needs. He has shown signs he has the ability. If he proves it over a season, Arsenal will have found another ingredient in the package that produces success.

Tim Collings, Goal.com