Arsene Wenger has lauded Abou Diaby for his favourite thing of all: mental strength.
The Frenchman is due for his first start in over 16 months tonight as the Gunners get set to face Southampton in the Capital One Cup. Although he made a brief cameo at Norwich on the final day of last season, he last featured in the starting XI on March 16th 2013 awat at Swansea.
Having suffered a cruciate ligament injury in training he then missed the remainder of that season and all of the last one until that Norwich game.
This time around, he’s been eased back into action with some U21 appearances, but the Arsenal manager is ready to give him a game tonight and praised him for his mental fortitude.
“He’s a giant, mentally,” said Wenger. “To do what he has done, with the severe injuries he has had, he comes back every time, is dedicated and he deserves a lot of respect.
“I’m a huge believer in his quality and I’m sad as well that he couldn’t show it more. If there is some justice, the future will be much better for him.”
Fingers crossed he can get a run without injury and make a contribution to the team this season. After all he’s been through, he deserves that.
LANS
You have to admire Diaby’s resolve to still be playing after the nightmare with injuries.
Best of luck.
agreed – this guys never gives up – it is frustrating however knowing that the “BIG DEFENSIVE MID” that we are crying out for is actually in our squad – a fit diaby is huge for arsenal. I’m a big fan of his ability when fit. He tore Liverpool apart at anfield when poldi and santi got their first goals.
big win tonight! COYG!
I’m a huge fan of him as wel- But he’s not and never has been a DM. He’s always been box-to-box. Brilliant at turning upfield, dribbling the opposition (hence the bad tackles he’s suffered), and interplay.
completely agree, but his size means you get a sort of inate defensive solidarity with him, for example a mid 3 of arteta diaby ramsy looks less likely to conceed to me than arteta ramsey wilshere (no hating on wilshere at all, id play him number 10)
He’s not box to box, he’s an attacking midfielder, in fact half the games he’s played for us have been on the left wing. I personally don’t see where he fits in our squad long term.
Football Experience wise he is a 21 year old though; wonder how much he has improved from his youthful days?
He is 28 now…..would be interesting to see if he can be the player everyone seem to think he is.
who can forget diaby’s powerhouse performance against liverpool in the box-to-box role from a few seasons ago?
No one seems to remember the performance at Old Trafford where he leaped unopposed and planted a header into his own goal to gift United the win. Reading these comments you would have thought Diaby was the best player in the world and did no wrong, which is the complete opposite from what i remember.
here here.
where where.
Hear hear
there there, it’ll all work out.
Ugh not only did I use an expression made popular by a bunch of fucking scoundral bastards, I misspelled it. I don’t even know where it came from (the inclination to use it, not the source, I’ve actually just googled it out of curiosity – hebrew bible).
But basically I agreed completely with the sentiments of the article in wishing Diaby well and you merciless bastards knew that rightly.
Go on Diaby, do your thing!
Well to be quite honest, to not do his thing would be best.
Its a case of what could’ve been if he had stayed fit. I’m a huge fan of diaby and I am gutted to say that we would never know what he could have done had he stayed fit. The game against Liverpool back in 2012/2013 was the evidence of what he can do when fit.
Last line *Tears*
I want to see him play, but the fear that he might break down would be too much… if I feel like that, god knows how he manages to get back out there, time and time and time again. I honestly think it is not based on collecting the mighty pound and he actually must have ‘mental strength’.
Such a talented footballer too. He’d be resigning from Barca by now if he’d stayed fit…
I believe Diaby was off the payroll while he was injured and for some reason I believe that this was instigated by him. (correct me if I am wrong)
He is a beast like Viera and he is also capable of the most exquisite touches.
I hope he has a good season(s) with The Arsenal and finally gets to realise his immense potential
Up The Arsenal!
I heard that too. My understanding is that he donated his salary to charity while he was unable to play. Anyone else have any details or is this just an urban legend?
Fucks sake. God, if you are up there..
Please, help this man..
Love you, Diaby!
I believe Dennis is in Amsterdam
I think he was talking about Thierry.
If he get through a full season without being injured he could really contribute to the team, not only in the cups but maybe the league too. I know he’s not a CDM, per se, but then neither is anyone else in the Arsenal team, and on those days when Areta and Flamini just don’t have the athleticism or presence to deal with opponents Diaby could be a real asset. I think back a year or so to when he dismantled Liverpool, and if we can only find that player and keep him alive…*sighs*
#PrayForDiaby
Love Abou. Wish him a brighter future and would love it to be with us. Everytime I see him in the shirt it’s such a nice feeling. It’s a privelige to watch and sense how he feels that way to about it.
You put it perfect mate. We’ve all been through some ish in our lives, some things we push on from, some cause us to fold. This guy pushes on, he’s a role model for all. I hope, and pray he can play in the top flight with a consistent run of games at some point. With his dedication and hunger he deserves for the world and everybody who’s joned on him over the years to witness his quality. And he has real quality, let’s not fool ourselves. This guy could very well have been the missing link on this roster… Read more »
Inject this man with Adamantium, I say! Never want him to miss a game due to his body
We should give Diaby a ten year contract with an option for another ten. In Rosický years he should’t be older than five or six.
huge talent humpered by injuries. stay fit this time, Abou. Thats my prayer for you.
If there is anything Shad needs to do, its get this guy fit (and keep him fit). If he manages to do that, Diaby will become one of the most potent midfielders in the PL. I will then personally start a campaign to erect a Shad statue outside the Emirates! Exceptional talent who has been exceptionally unlucky
Hope he does well and suffers new injuries but if he does, surely, surely he has by now, run out of rope. As it is, we’re a club blighted by more injuries than our rivals and whilst i’m all for giving players chances, we cannot continue to shoot ourselves in the foot by retaining the services of players who have an irefutable record of being injured consistantly only to compound that problem by failing to strengthen adequately.
In recent years, the business side of the game has taken precedence over the human side of it. Personally I feel proud that the club has stuck with Diaby, Rosicky and Gibbs etc. As the latter two have showed, they sometimes repay the faith. What makes keeping these guys a sensible decision is if the team is not relying on them to stay fit. Our midfield options allow us a platform to ease Diaby back in the game and I wish the very best in his future (whatever is left of it). Arsene’s patience with them should also be shared… Read more »
From what I remember of our last match of the season last year, the reaction of the away gooners when he was brought on made me so proud to be a fan of this football club. I think that most fans do share that patience because most fans have seen what he’s capable of. I completely agree with your points, Emmanuel. Bobs, we’ve had plenty of players who have suffered long-term injuries where I’ve heard arguments from a few people that we should release or transfer them for fresh blood. Here’s the thing, though: how appealing will AFC look to… Read more »
Disagree entirely. It’s been frustrating that we haven’t had cover for his likely injury in the past. But now our midfield is well stocked and I think we can certainly afford to reserve 1 of our 25 spots for someone of Diaby’s talent if he is able to stay fit for the entire season. And surely Diaby will hope that the rest of his career is all about achieving his potential. And surely he wants to do this at Arsenal. If he proves he can avoid the big injuries this year, I will hope we sign him on a yearly… Read more »
Ooops, sufffers NO new injuries is what i meant, hope that typo has unjinxed him!
Great to have him as an option. Depth, glorious depth.
With the length of time he’s been out, it’s practically as if he’s a new addition to the squad… if there were perhaps a better way to surmise that in a handy phrase.
I’m personally very excited to see Diaby play this evening, can’t wait! Good luck Abou.
Good luck diaby would love to see him stay injury free he deserves it !
I wonder what is Dan Smith up to now….. Last I heard, he’s working at a Call Centre…
Fair enough to Diaby for sticking through it all.
Hopefully all his hard work pays off and he can get some game time tonight.
I think he can be a great player on his day, but due to his horrific injury list, you just cant hold your breath..
If he stays fit and makes a few appearances this season I’d be really happy for him.
I think ultimately though this will be his last season at Arsenal, ..unless something really drastic happens.
Don’t tell me that Barcelona are in for him already…
I rather have him out 2 months more and really really gently ease him into the team! Ramsey and Diaby future holding/box to box axis is my dream!
I would say,give him a little part to play against the smaller teams,like as a substitute in the 70th minute or something and unleash him against bigger teams like Chelsea!the guy’s got talent!and he could be a better option against the bigger teams than arteta and flamini,when fit!Use him as an impact player this season!he might end up surprising a few!Fingers crossed for him!
My lord but that knee looks more scar tissue than anything else. Fair play to him and hope he gets a good run of games for us
1 season just 1 and the world will see what Abou can do ppl think Yaya is a tank they just havent seen diaby yet… skill, vision, power the ability to get up and down the pitch with ease thats what abou can give us from a deep role I hope he can come thru this game unscaved and with a goal..
Would love nothing more than diaby to EARN a new contract this season. Good luck to him tonight, such a special talent with the worst luck
This is a case which speaks volumes about the strength of character of the people we have at the club. Abou Diaby, a person whose name elicits scorn and ridicule from a majority of the people, at least for the past few years. The way he has handled himself and still remains determined to make a mark despite all the odds is truly remarkable. Even more remarkable is that he has a club and a manager who still persist with him and keep their faith in him . Many would call that foolish (I agree we shouldn’t have relied on… Read more »
Wishing you best of luck….Abou Diaby
The way Diaby tried to overcome his injuries and his amazing talent makes me hope that he will stay fit and help the team to the sooner.Moreover, the way Arsenal acted patiently and ethically on Diaby’s case makes me love our club more!!! A very rare sign of respect and honesty which is very hard to see in the current global ruthless corporate mentality of thinking which is only directed on profit making rather than spirit of fairness and fair play.I think Arsenal built more good reputation compared to the financial cost they paid to Diaby as a salary in… Read more »
At least he makes an effort unlike Bendtner and others like him.
I think he is a player that can now only play like 60 mins a game. I’ll never forget that Liverpool game.
I hope…
Abou Diaby + Shad Forsythe = Yaya Toure – the extravagant wages – cakegate
They televised the under 21 vs villa and the man was a beast from deep midfield alongside coq, linking up play and making creating chances with deft through balls. He was even making good use of his left foot! Hope I can get a stream tonight just to watch him play
This might be his last season with us, its make or break for him, i really hope he stays clear of injuries, he is such a brilliant player…
His contract ends next summer I think. In that case, this might be the last hurrah for him in an Arsenal shirt – sadly I may add. Diaby is one player I hoped would stay fit; I still remember him singlehandedly taking on the whole Liverpool midfield and coming out tops 2 seasons ago. What a game he had that day. I think he has to do that consistently this season to convince Arsene to give him a new contract. This is doubtful at least. I am looking forward to watching him tonight. Brilliant player on his day but sadly,… Read more »
I’ll echo the sentiments above, and say that I really, really hope Diaby gets back to his best this year. I’m afraid he’ll have to be rather exceptional to be able to secure a contract for next year though. It’s great to have him as a depth player, but the problem is squad size. If you look at our 25-man Champions League squad, it’s completely full at the moment. Adding Giroud to it after the group phase probably just means dropping Zelalem from it (he’ll be allowed to go on the B-list next year anyway), but next year Ox will… Read more »
Diaby I hope he gets some luck and he stays injury free and has a football career
Can he play CB? He’s one of the few players in the squad tall enoigh to take on the role in emergency
Really hope Abou stays fit. Wonderful player to watch, and on a personal level he strikes me as a decent, loyal, and honourable bloke with a steely determination, the likes of which the PL has never seen. Who else would still be pushing to play at the highest level after all he’s been through? He’s not driven by money either as demonstrated by his refusal to take his wages until he got fit (I think this was for 2013/14 season). Can’t help but get misty eyed.
TL;DR – Diaby: what a guy. *sobs gently*
Please football gods, just give the lad one year. You gave 2 years to the Dutch c*nt, surely you can cut Abou some slack.
Arsene’s & the club’s faith in Diaby is the reason why we are always a class act above the rest.
Come on Abou!!
As much as I like the guy, I can’t help but feel this us his final chance . Another serious breakdown would surely mean the end of his arsenal career. Can we keep waiting and waiting for his fitness?. He’s taking up a squad place which could better be used. I hope I’m wrong .
Diaby’s case is a vindication to my banging on about what a classy club ours is. Through my association with arsenal as a fan I have learnt a lot on how people should be treated. There is no bigger testament of this lesson more than this case. We trully have an amazing club.
Wow a quick YouTube sesh reminded me of what a dynamic player we’ve been missing. This is what we need transitioning from defence to attack, not the meticulous sideways movement Arteta and Flamini offer (bless them, but they set a slow tempo).
Huge welcome back Diaby, we love you, I love you! I really hope you have a strong season this time around.
We’ve just opened a book at work on how long he’ll last before his next injury. I’ve staked a tenner on him for no more than three games.
I think I’m gonna collect a nice sum of money soon.
U really try hard to be despicable but all i see is a sorry joke of a human vermin who enjoys d pain of others. May u get double of what u wish others. And mark my words, u will choke on the food u try to gorge with your winnings. Pray u dont win that bet. Who even employed this fat rat?
Hi, can you please read the comment policy about ‘text speak’ – http://news.arseblog.com/comment-policy/
Thanks!
Sorry blogs, dont usually loose my cool and i rarely comment despite reading all your posts. this guy just got way under my skin with such an insensitive comment. Glad he was not anywhere near me, would have gotten myself arrested for causing grevious bodily harm. Will be careful about the text speak next time
Thanks man!
I usually don’t mind your idiotic ramblings about how the team is terrible and Wenger is clueless since they’re very easy to either ignore or laugh at but this comment is simply horrifying.
Are you seriously the kind of person who has no qualms about gambling on someone’s misery?
Come on man. Your critical posts genuinely often have merit to them, but this is just wind-up territory.
I’m sorry for being sarcastic, Arseblog, but there was some merit to my post. You see, the Diaby situation sums up just about everything that’s wrong with our club, and Wenger’s management. I actually like Diaby, and, when fit, he is more than just a decent player. The problem is that he never is. At any other top club Diaby would have been released or maybe given a non-football job to help him out. But it tells you everything about Wenger’s stubborness, and the way in which the club indulges our French genius, that Diaby continues to collect 70k every… Read more »
I think most of us are well aware of what you believe to be the ‘reality’ of Diaby’s situation but possess enough but possess empathy to look at it on a human level as well as a football one. I have my doubts that he’ll ever be fit enough to perform at this level, to be honest, but I don’t begrudge him the chance to prove me wrong, and I think the club’s stance is commendable rather than something to be critical of. And if you’d ‘absolutely loved to be proved wrong’, don’t you have to give him a chance… Read more »
Blogs People often forget that the human side of the game is the most important one. It’s the sole reason that we identify ourselves as fans of a given club, it’s same reason we haven’t changed clubs simply because we didn’t win a trophy in about 10 years, and I could go on.
The thing is – Diaby does not continue to collect 70k a week as he refuses to accept his pay unless he is fit to play or is playing (something along those lines), which just shows the quality of the attitude he has.
Can you please publish a link to an article that states Diaby hasn’t picked up his wages
Another thing to consider, as we also look at Ozil’s statement about solidarity at the club, is that having stood by Diaby might actually mean something to the other players and especially, I imagine, the youth players.
Release for what?
After all we’ve spent on him? Just let him go?
And who will pay for an injury prone player?
May as well get the most of him however limited.
Diaby is a World Class player on his day. And he may just put in a crucial performance or two that may contribute to the season.
You really are one fucked up individual.
Echo the comments above. Really want this to be an exciting new chapter in his Arsenal career. COYG.
Fat gooner is a knob #findramblingpete
I truly believe that if Diaby were able to stay fit for an entire season, that we would win the league, such is the talent he possesses. I wish him all the best.
Give him a new contract to let him prove what he can do!!