In Vassiriki Abou Diaby, Arsene Wenger sees all the physical qualities with which the omnipotent midfield general Patrick Vieira is blessed. Unfortunately, this is where the similarities end.

Diaby is a diligent player who perhaps will need time to flourish in the Arsenal system à la Mathieu Flamini. But at the moment the glimpses of class that were self-evident in youngsters such as Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini have not presented themselves frequently enough.

For a central midfielder, rule number one is to take care of the ball and Diaby doesn’t take heed of this. He persistently tries to skip inside on his right side, often squandering possession of the ball. It seems that the juke to the right is the sole skill in his dribbling repertoire and it has become blatantly obvious to the opposition as to how they can dispossess him.

'For a central midfielder, rule No. 1 is to take care of the ball and Diaby doesn’t take heed of this'


When Diaby plays on the left wing, as he did in the debacle that was the Carling Cup second-leg massacre, his fallibilities are most often seen and exploited. Diaby loves to come inside and become a third central midfielder, sometimes even foraying to the right-hand side. The problem is that when Diaby is in possession, he will always pass the ball to his right which immediately negates the attacking qualities of the left-back (Gael Clichy for the most part, Armand Traoré in the Cup) and the left-sided striker. Moreover, when Arsenal cede possession of the ball, the roaming Diaby can find himself 40-50 yards out of position, leaving the left side of the defence vulnerable.

The first-team Arsenal midfield (Tomas Rosicky, Fabregas, Flamini and Aleksandr Hleb) is extremely malleable. The wingers will float from side to side and alternate wings, Fabregas will roam and all this is done around the “pivot” Flamini (who is quite partial to the occasional offensive venture himself). When the wide midfielders want the ball, they spread out, often utilising every inch of width on the pitch to stretch the opposition.

This also counters the five-man midfields which are used to break up the intricate passing scheme. This allows Arsenal to easily switch play from left to right and vice versa waiting for a penetrative opportunity to present itself. Diaby once again does not follow suit. He seldom sticks to the left-hand channel, preferring to move infield and seek the ball there. This is detrimental for two reasons: the midfield is much more constricted making them easier to defend against and there is an over-dependency on right-handed side attacks which makes the offence easier to defend against.

There is a lot of potential in the young Frenchman, but he may not have a lot of time to prove himself. With the likes of Denilson, who impresses with every appearance, the English midfield duo of Henri Lansbury and Kieran Gibbs coming through, the arrival of the soon-to-be EU national Carlos Vela (who currently operates as a left winger at Osasuna), and potential signings, his opportunities may well be limited.

A graduate of the same French Football Academy that graced football with the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, Diaby can only be described euphemistically as "average" and cacophenestically as "clumsy" and "oafish". And that is enough to make your blood boil.