Eric Bailly the warrior shows us why he is Manchester United’s best centre-back
Manchester United central defender Eric Bailly put in a tremendous display against Arsenal on Wednesday night, showing why I believe he is the club’s best in that position.
He was once hailed as one of the best centre-backs that the Premier League may ever see – arguably a bit premature – but on nights like these, you forget that Eric Bailly was once hauled off after 19 minutes almost 2 months ago.
On that day, any one of Manchester United’s defenders would’ve been taken off as the sacrificial lamb, such was the dire situation they had found themselves in against fellow strugglers, Newcastle United.
And at a time when United’s current predicament varies from extreme to extremely extreme, there was nothing wrong with Bailly’s calm, controlled performance here against Arsenal, a throwback to the days when he was a guaranteed starter and the centre-back United could always count on.
This 2-2 result was a frantic affair that had little of the malaise that has been very apparent at Old Trafford this season. The crowd was up for it, which could be seen in the players as well, a wonderful hustle of a game that had both teams in it to win.
In all of this, poor defending was at the forefront. David de Gea’s butter fingers was a sight not too often seen, but the rest of the goals symbolized the characteristic lapses that used to hinder Arsenal in those eventful last seasons under Arsène Wenger, and what haunts United now.
He, unlike others, could hold his head up high from the mediocrity that ensued around him, King Eric the Second in his rightful place as the leader of the centre-back knights.
And unlike Marcos Rojo’s attempt at being Bailly – a failed one at that – he has never been involved in any errors that lead to goals, such has been his consistent rock-solid attitude to his job, the best version of a centre-back that José Mourinho has at his disposal.
There doesn’t seem to be method to Mourinho’s madness
It probably doesn’t help that United have become a leaky faucet of a defence, which overshadowed Bailly’s contribution in what was good about this team – they have now conceded 25 goals in 15 matches, a testament to the problems they’ve had in trying to be something they’re not at the moment, straying away from what Mourinho’s teams have been renowned for defensively.
It’s never good when arguably his best centre-back has been frozen out from the starting line-up for so long, yet here he was, like a man who had never been away, fitting in this back three system that Mourinho has come to favour recently.
Luke Shaw had revealed that indeed, you need a tough old hide to be able to work with Mourinho, like a soldier following instructions from a rugged sergeant major egotist. It’s all about being able to come out of it alive and unscathed, ready-made to do battle.
What has also been interesting to note is that in making 7 changes to the team that drew against Southampton, Mourinho has now tweaked his team 46 times in the league alone, a sign of a man out of touch with his best XI.
His best team, more often than not, should include Bailly. Could this be the turning point for him? It’s a question that doesn’t feel right to ask of a player who has put his better foot first, all for the betterment of the team. The same player who, during pre-season, played through the pain against Liverpool so that the younger players didn’t have to endure any impending calamities.
It’s been a theme of the Mourinho reign to fall out of favour with some of his players. In this game, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench, the former a revolving story of classic manager-player disconnect. Bailly had been banished, starving for an opportunity such as this one to show what United fans had been crying out for.
He may not be giving revision lectures on L’arte di Difendere written by Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, but he’s what United need in that nervy defence. Without him, the team conceded. With him, the team still concedes, but there’s a better atmosphere when he’s on the field.
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And as he soaked up the atmospheric air of Old Trafford’s better nights, it’s hard to argue against his inclusion for the upcoming fixture against Fulham. For once, this decision wouldn’t be ridiculed, no one would bat an eyelid because Bailly is United’s go-to guy. Mourinho, fans will hope, knows this now.