Top scorer in the squad
Because Bayer Leverkusen started the current season worse than at any time since the three-point rule was introduced, coach Gerardo Seoane had to resign in early October after just over a year in office. Now Moussa Diaby has not attached the weak performance to the Swiss, but to the team. “It’s true that the beginning of the season was a bit complicated. I don’t think it was a problem for the coach, but more a mental problem, in the minds of the players,” the Frenchman toldRMC Sports“.
At the time of the coaching change, the “Werkself” were in 17th place and had only won one of their first eight games in the Bundesliga. In addition, Bayer had a negative record in the Champions League and the DFB Cup ended in the first round at SV Elversberg. “The separation is not easy for us. But in our current situation, we don’t see any other option,” emphasized Fernando Carro, CEO at the time. Sports director Simon Rolfes said that Bayer had “gone off the road to success”.
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Things didn’t go well under successor Xabi Alonso either, the 4-0 win against Schalke 04 was followed by a series of six games in all competitions without a win. Only from the 5-0 win over Union Berlin on matchday 13 did Bayer catch up, start a run and are currently on course for the European Cup. “We knew how to create the conditions for better performances to get to our usual level,” said Diaby. The team came back with a “better attitude”. In the second half of the season, not only with a new coach but also with a new team, we were able to find our way back to our old strengths, he emphasized.
Diaby on role at Bayer Leverkusen: “I’m a leader there”
“And of course, if the team does well, then so will the statistics,” he said, looking at his personal numbers. With 12 goals and seven assists in 35 appearances, Diaby is the best attacker in the Bayer squad, but in a Bundesliga comparison nine players outperform his 13 points in the league. “Personally, I felt good at the beginning of the season. The statistics were not necessarily meaningful, but I was satisfied with the content,” he said.
His performances with the “Werkself” were recently rewarded with an appointment to the national team. He is happy to be at the level that allows him to belong to the “Équipe Tricolore” again. Since his debut in September 2021, his vita has included eight assignments. When asked that Diaby didn’t seem to be completely convincing with the national team, he replied: “I wouldn’t say it like that, but rather that the tasks in the French team and in the club are different.”
Even if he performs well, “it doesn’t necessarily have the same effect as in the club”. At Bayer they count on him, “I’m one of the leaders there, while here I’m like a newcomer. I shouldn’t rush things, at the moment I’m adapting and will try to live up to the coach’s expectations.” France start their EURO qualifiers against the Netherlands on Friday (20.45 CET) and Ireland three days later.
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