Leverkusen (dpa) – At Christmas, Moussa Diaby had more cards than goals in his statistics.
Seven warnings and one sending off with only five goals were evidence of the lack of maturity of the highly talented soccer professional from Bayer Leverkusen, who was also often displeased with his colleagues due to a lack of defensive work. But at the turn of the year it apparently clicked at Diaby.
“Players with this potential at this age can constantly push their limit upwards,” said Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane after the 3-0 win against Arminia Bielefeld with another double pack from the Frenchman, who has been outstanding for weeks: “In retrospect, the preliminary round was definitely one good lesson for him.”
You could also say: The 22-year-old has grown up in sport. With seven goals, he is the most successful goalscorer in the top European leagues in the calendar year 2022 after Bayern’s world footballer Robert Lewandowski. Round of 16 against Atalanta Bergamo.
Hradecky looking forward to Bayern game
In any case, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky immediately came up with three reasons why Leverkusen, who had lost 5-1 in their own stadium in the first leg, could meet FC Bayern on an equal footing next Saturday. “We have nothing to lose. We have good self-confidence. And we have Moussa Diaby in top form,” said Hradecky: “Well, I’m looking forward to it!”
The fact that he hasn’t received a single yellow card this year and is now being praised by the coach and teammates for his defensive work rounds off the picture of the maturing process. “He’s now working very well backwards,” said Seoane, who stated last week: “It’s impressive what discipline and willingness he’s now showing to do certain jobs that might not necessarily be his strengths.”
The fact that he scores more and more often with more defensive work is only paradoxical for Hradecky at first glance. “He has understood that this is the only way,” said the captain. Defense chief Jonathan Tah also begrudges the once so playful and stubborn colleague every hymn of praise. “There was one or the other game in which we addressed it,” he said with a smile about Diaby’s earlier defensive behavior: “Now he’s doing great. He rewards himself because he doesn’t just rely on his talent. And so it’s well deserved that the fans are chanting his name.”
“L’Equipe”: Diaby is looking for a change
Although he is developing so well in Leverkusen, Bayer is not the end of all Diaby’s dreams. According to information from “L’Equipe”, the winger, who was once promoted to the pros by Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain, is aiming for a move to a top club in Spain or England in the summer. “He’s a player who has goals with the team and also personally,” said Seoane.
Above all, this includes the World Cup at the end of the year in Qatar. He has meanwhile completed four senior international matches for world champions France. The World Cup is definitely “an additional motivational factor,” explained the coach. A gala on the biggest stage at Bayern next week could take him a long way.