Selfless players / Why Fabregas and Diaby are equally important

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
21 Apr	12:45 PM	P	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	2	2	Draw

Arsenal has now qualified for the Champions League in a game against Tottenham, just like last season. I would usually be bitter about Arsenal losing a goal in stoppage time but I wasn't that annoyed because the game was rather exciting.

I have been nervous in just about every game this season because of the wobbliness of the team but now, with fourth place pretty much assured, I was relaxed and the team were also visibly relaxed.

The team that has been struggling to get the first goal, the team that had a terrible record of wins after conceding first and an even worse record of scoring from crosses came from behind and scored two set-piece goals.

It felt surreal but the real lesson is that Arsenal could have left the pitch having played well, hit the post 3 times and lost 0-2. It has happened this season. Being able to get that goal from a set-piece or cross is vital.

Freddie Ljungberg was again a fantastic example. Freddie thinks better football than he can play which is a shame because many extremely skilful players don't have the same mental capability.

Freddie is an intelligent player who always knows what to do, when to make that ghost run that nobody can track and he understands the importance of timing and prompt delivery. He may not be able to do all he thinks but he always gives his best and has been inspirational in the past 2 games.

Freddie's movement and urgency made Arsenal dynamic and Gilberto's steadiness maintained it. It took the introduction of Francesc Fabregas to make it productive.

Gilberto, Freddie and Lauren have been unsung great signings for Wenger. When Wenger retires and thinks back at his career, he will struggle to find players that served him so selflessly for the most important parts of their own working life than these three.

This season has been tough so I've been kind of waiting for it to finish so we can start with a clean slate. However, the return of Abou Diaby has been so interesting that I would be curious to see how he would change over the next 10 games.

Unfortunately, he will have to stop and go on a summer break when it seems like he is really in the zone – almost like he's finding himself and it seems very unfortunate to stop it and have a break.

Diaby is forceful, positive, good on the ball and against Tottenham, quite a pain for opponents when he hassles. Diaby's passing is also improving at a very dramatic rate. From his first game back to the game at White Hart Lane, there has been a huge improvement.

He is really like Vieira. He achieves a lot but uses a lot of energy to do so. Fabregas is very special because he can achieve the same, or a lot more with minimum energy. But on the hand, high-energy players can unnerve opponents in ways that Fabregas can't.

A run from Diaby might cause chaos and allow Arsenal to score from a rebound or a mistake. A run can cause midfielders to be nervous and play badly and hence exploited. But a clever Fabregas pass can simply be cut out and forgotten about. You need both.

User Comments

gt

Posted on 26 Apr, 2007 at 01:17 AM - Reply

This issue has been raised a million times but, is our midfield balanced? Who is good at playing in the wings?

Aussie Gooner

Posted on 24 Apr, 2007 at 07:43 AM - Reply

Fabregas and Diaby are both very excititng prospects and i think will control the middle of the park for years to come. Cesc is absolutely brilliant and even at his tender age is one of the top centre midfielders in world football while Diaby offers something different and can dominate physically, much like Viera did. this pairing, along with Denilson, have me very excited about the future of Arsenal FC

Aussie Fan

Posted on 24 Apr, 2007 at 04:59 AM - Reply

Good Read, agree with most points there!! Esp Diaby, was he not a shadow of a former player we once had? the Legend that is? Geez this Guy was scitilating, crashing, Tackling busting his way out of the Midfield!! Even his passing was of a quality level. Still not quite the finished product, but how frightning does it seem? AND TO THIN dENILSON, IS To come into calculation we just need to be patient!! Cesc is simply brilliant, but one thing he lacks is that Mongrel against the lesser teams!!! I Don't think Diaby has such a problem, whether its up against Scholes oR John Doe he will keep going at the same rate!! I Really can see the promise in Diaby and am excited for him, esp after last seasons unfortunate injury!

Mascot

Posted on 24 Apr, 2007 at 03:50 AM - Reply

Not detailed enough, give a proper feeling on why Diaby is just as important.

Or should I write it for you.. happy to do so.

Ferret

Posted on 23 Apr, 2007 at 08:12 PM - Reply

Diaby is more important for the club's future than Fabregas. Diaby is looking more and more like Vieira as the weeks go by, and that's what we need - that and a ruthless striker who will shoot on sight, maybe Fernando Torres or Obafemi Martins - then we're once again a force to be reckoned with!

A fan

Posted on 23 Apr, 2007 at 12:20 PM - Reply

Agree with you. Diaby and Fabregas in the midfield engine room can really make differences. Diaby is giving us more and more of msucle which have been missing since viera gone.

Fabregas is intelligent in his passing and these passings were all so fatal.

Freddie is after all an experienced player. He knew where to run, a little more practice on how to finish some balls could help arsenal earn some nice score.

I would like to comment on Alex Hleb. I like him coz he is such a busy player, and his footwork seems to unnerve the opposition. He needed that practice to try shoot goals and everything will be perfect.

Rosicky i think he is a wonderful player. he shoots from outside and do some late runs lately to score the 2 goals at Man City and Bolton. We need that really badly.

Gilberto on the other hand have been stabilizing the midfield in terms of defence. it is important to have him as he provide cover for our back four.

TO me giving them a little more time to become the best midfield quartet or quintet is more important than getting a new winger. a new winger might not adapt quickly. Whereas our player have at least a season and they should be already adapted. I hope all of them will stay in Arsenal next season. For i know this batchof midfielders will unleash their potential in next season. I believe the upcoming match VS Chelsea we will see if our midfield is maturing.

Jon

Posted on 23 Apr, 2007 at 11:58 AM - Reply

Good article. I like the look of our midfield when Gilberto/Denilson, Fabregas/Diaby play middle, Ljungberg and Rosicky on the wings. Diaby will be a great player for us, as will Denilson. Fabregas is already great, as shown by his introduction on Sat. However, am I the only gooner who thinks Hleb is utterly useless? Yes he can pass well but he can't seem to keep the ball under pressure. Plus I've never seen him try to head the ball.

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