Official - Leicester City 1-2 Manchester United (2016 Community Shield) | Goals & Highlights
Paul Pogba may be the name on everyone"s lips as far as Manchester United are concerned, but another piece of business they have done this summer could turn out to be the most important.
It speaks for the state of the transfer market that 30million can be described as a fraction of a fee. For Eric Bailly, a player with less than 50 top-flight appearances to his name, it may be to his benefit that his arrival flew somewhat under the radar. Being followed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and shortly after by Pogba tends to do that to a player.
On Sunday, however, Bailly showed why Jose Mourinho singled him out as the man to start to fix his broken defence.
Eric Bailly celebrates with the Community Shield after his display against Leicester City
Bailly duels with Leicester"s Jeffrey Schlupp for the ball, showing his ability to time a tackle
UNITED"S OPENING FIXTURESAugust 14 v Bournemouth (away)
August 19 v Southampton (home)
August 27 v Hull City (away)
September 10 v Man City (home)
September 18 v Watford (away)
The days of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic patrolling the pitch at Old Trafford are long gone, and the reality is that United have struggled to come close to replacing them. Even before they departed they were a shade of their former selves under David Moyes.
Enter Bailly. He represents the first major investment in a central defender since Sir Alex Ferguson left. The quality that shone through against Leicester made it seem worthwhile.
Claudio Ranieri"s side have taken a few blows this summer but they still possess Jamie Vardy, who by any measure was one of the top strikers in the world last season.
Manchester United have struggled defensively since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic left
The 22-year-old Bailly handled Jamie Vardy well, taking him down when necessary
They tried to use him to their full advantage on Sunday. Vardy chased and harried. Wembley"s giant pitch gave him the space behind the defence that he thrives on, the yards he needs to get up to full pace.
Bailly dealt with it. There were moments when the 22-year-old looked to have been out-thought by Vardy. The striker would find a pocket and someone would pick him out. Inevitably, the former Villarreal man would stop him.
It came down to his ability to read the striker"s next move and react. Vardy twice got the ball in his favoured position on the left-hand side of the box, and twice Bailly timed his tackle to perfection to win back the ball.
There was another, more symbolic, moment. Kasper Schmeichel launched a counter-attack, placing the ball for Vardy to chase. The referee blew up for an earlier foul, but at the other end of the pitch neither Vardy nor Bailly knew. Vardy did his usual act, fighting for the ball, nipping at the defender"s heels. Bailly bounced him away with his shoulder, drawing a huge cheer from the United end.
A notable moment saw Bailly shove Vardy off the ball with his shoulder with consummate ease
The performance followed up what Bailly had been doing throughout pre-season. Against Galatasaray he often made up for the struggles of other defenders, mopping up when the opposition had broken past his partners. Daley Blind was the beneficiary, Bailly reacting quickly to stop an attacker after the Dutch defender had been turned.
That 30m fee is symbolic for another reason beyond Pogba. It"s the same amount United paid for Ferdinand when they signed him from Leeds in the summer of 2002.
Bailly"s style immediately brings to mind the former England captain. It"s calm and collected. He is not about the blood and guts but more a reader of the game. There"s a natural style to his defending that speaks for an innate talent.
Bailly showed the ability to beat Vardy to the ball, using the touch of pace he possesses
Like Ferdinand, he is also comfortable on the ball. To an extent, he seems like the defender everyone thinks John Stones may one day be. To have snapped him up for 20m less than Stones may eventually cost is a real positive for Mourinho.
Ferdinand"s arrival brought a league title, but it would be hard for Bailly to inspire the same in his first season. After all, there"s a lack of defensive quality at Old Trafford. That is probably best symbolised by Mourinho"s reliance on Blind over pre-season in the face of Chris Smalling"s injury.
However, the Ivorian looks like he could be the first step in fixing a defence that has needed the repairs for years. More needs to follow, but Pogba will almost certainly be grateful for the signing the first time Bailly mops up behind him.
The Ivorian could be the first step that United take to turn around their defensive issues
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3729075/Eric-Bailly-start-rebuild-Manchester-United-s-defence-30m-Ivorian-cool-calm-ball-club-icon-Rio-Ferdinand.html
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