Consecutive 1-0 defeats to Everton and West Brom over the past week have brought us back down to earth, with both performances being a sobering reminder that we really do struggle and lack quality in this league if we’re not ‘at it’.
Over the last two games, the team, as a whole, has lacked ideas, intensity and organisation, with several sections of St James’ Park accusing the players of already being on the beach already. One player who can’t fall into that category, however, is Mo Diame.
The Senegalese midfielder has enjoyed a stunning turnaround in form since the turn of the year, and even though almost everyone’s standards appeared to have dropped over the last week, Mo Diame’s have certainly not.
At Everton he was the only player who forced the issue, got into their faces and used the ball well, with the same being said on Saturday. He was the one player getting into tackle, being physical and looking to get us on the front foot against West Brom.
For me, he is the only player who can come out of our last two defeats with his head held high.
Looking back over our 'player ratings' from the two defeats over the past week & Mo Diame stands out in both.
Hats off to him. He's gone from our 'worst' & 'laziest' player, to a midfield general and the only one performing over the last 2 games. #nufc pic.twitter.com/X0tBCBVOKn
— Black&WhiteBarmy (@BlackWhiteBarmy) April 30, 2018
Given he had been the one player who was consistently singled out for his poor performances just a few months ago, it only seems fair to praise him (yet again) for how good he’s been.
It’s ironic that he’s gone from ‘our worst’ and ‘laziest’ player, to our most consistent performer and the one player who’s not allowed his standards to drop despite us having little left to play for.
With just a year left to run on his current deal at NUFC, let’s hope he’s rewarded with a new contract this summer – he’s earned it!
Totally agree, he’s been a revelation since the WHU game. Even though against WBA he dipped below his recent very high standards, he was still fighting & scrapping for every ball – his was a captain’s performance, he was the only one to show any leadership. Disappointingly, everyone else seemed to have switched off!!
Roppa(Quote)