Ousmane Diakité may not usually be a first-half substitute for James Morrison’s side, but when he was called on over the weekend, his introduction was impactful to say the least.
As fellow midfielder Toby Collyer departed the field in the 43rd minute of Albion’s Sky Bet Championship clash with Blackburn Rovers last Saturday due to injury, his Malian club colleague was required with his team trailing 2-1.
Until that point, Collyer’s promise, especially on the ball, had been clear to see with the home side beginning to alter the course of proceedings, but still struggled to cope with Rovers’ fast breaks.
The Baggies were in need of a player to anchor their midfield, and Diakité was just the man to help them turn the tide of a frantic affair in B71.
But with just his third action in the game, the Malian showed he can be much more than just a backstop to the hosts’ attacks. He received the ball from George Campbell, and after turning into the centre of the field, slalomed his way through the heart of Blackburn’s block, eventually playing a pass out to Jimmy-Jay Morgan.
In truth, after his moment, Ousmane hardly moved from the base of the Albion’s forward patterns - often sitting between centre-halves Chris Mepham and Campbell and offering a passing option wherever he could.
Perfectly-poised to prevent opposition counter-attacks, the Baggies battling midfielder ended the game with the second-highest duels won out of any player on the field - despite only playing around half of the minutes as everyone else.
Diakité also dropped back to aid Mepham and Campbell in aerial duels, while stepping forwards to ensure the home side sustained their attacks. 'Oussie' won every header he attempted on Saturday (four & 100 per cent win rate), with Brayann Pereira the only other outfield player to do so.
𝐆⚽️⚽️𝐃 𝐌⚽️𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐄𝐒! 🫡 📸 @MDPhotography26 https://t.co/xygW3SgswR
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) October 18, 2026
Albion's No.17 then came second for recoveries made by outfield players (eight) and joint-second for interceptions made (two).
It'll come as no surprise to know, following the Malian's introduction, the visitors didn't manage a single shot on target.
Though his in-possession position was fairly fixed, Diakité still managed another of those mazy runs. With just four minutes to go, the 26-year-old skipped past Jake Garrett’s challenge, and whipped an inviting ball towards the back stick for Morgan to nod narrowly over.
The hosts rallied fairly late at the Shrine, and eventually got the two goals they needed to reverse the scoreline through Isaac Price and Felix Horn Myhre - with the Norwegian connection between Aune Heggebø and Myhre proving the winning ticket.
Though he didn’t contribute directly to either goal, without Diakité, the Baggies may not have completed the turnaround on Saturday.
