Villarreal star Eric Bailly an Africa Cup of Nations hero with a bright future
Eric Bertrand Bailly is an African Cup of Nations champion with Ivory Coast and tipped for a bright future at Villarreal.
Ivory Coast's success in the African Cup of Nations has been widely characterised as the glorious last stand of a generation of players who had become accustomed to failure. Yet alongside those relative veterans, Herve Renard's side also featured a sprinkling of young talent that played a key role in the collective triumph.
While his attack struggled to function with any consistency in Sunday's final against Ghana, the defence were strong and solid. And it was 20-year-old Eric Bailly who stood out for his composure under pressure, exemplified by the coolly converted penalty in the shootout that provided a fitting conclusion to his impressive tournament.
Bailly was born in Bingerville -- the southeastern city that was also the birthplace of his international teammate Wilfried Bony -- in 1994, but it was in the neighbouring country of Burkina Faso that he got his big break. There, he took part in a youth tournament organised by the Spanish company Promoesport, where he was spotted by Espanyol's Emilio Montiagut, who saw in Bailly a gifted, physically capable but very raw talent.
Work permit problems and an unwanted two-month stay in his homeland during the civil war of 2011 delayed his official incorporation into the Espanyol academy but once settled he quickly stood out as one to watch. Youth coach Dani Poyatos worked tirelessly to improve the tactical side of his game, and he made swift progress through the ranks. He joined the first-team squad at the start of the current season after impressing for the B team last year.
Bailly came on for the final minute of the win over Real Sociedad in October and then started for the first time in the draw at home to Villarreal a month later. A further three starts followed before the end of 2014 and included an impressive performance in the 5-1 derby defeat to Barcelona. Espanyol had the option of adding a further 30 percent to their 50 percent stake in him by paying an extra 200,000 euros to Promoesport but interest from other clubs quickly intensified.
Renard and his staff had been tracking Bailly's progress and elected to include him in the Ivory Coast squad after assistant coach Philippe Beaumel travelled to Spain to watch him in action. He started both of their pre-tournament friendlies and was then an ever-present in the three-man defence marshalled to glory by Kolo Toure. By then, Villarreal had already completed a 5.7 million-euro deal for the 50 percent of his rights owned by Espanyol.
Style
Bailly is a tall and confident defender who reads the game well and is competitive in the tackle. He is very quick across the ground and stays alert to danger around him. Perhaps most importantly given the style of football played by his new employers, he is very assured in possession and comfortable stepping forward out of defence with the ball at his feet.
Major strengths
- quick over both long and short distances
- very comfortable in possession
- alert and attentive to danger
Major weaknesses
- judgement of the flight of the ball
- inexperience can result in silly errors
Assessment breakdown
Tackling: Times the majority of his interventions very well. Made a couple of superb sliding challenges inside the area to deny Lionel Messi during the defeat to Barcelona in December. Booked for a couple of rash tackles, including one from behind, during his six starts at the Cup of Nations.
Marking: Very attentive in his marking in open play but needs to learn when to track his man and when to hand off to a teammate. For example, he was dragged out of position by Luis Suarez a couple of times early in the defeat to Barcelona in December, before a word from a teammate saw him position himself more conservatively thereafter. In the same match, he was guilty of losing Gerard Pique on the corner that led to the third goal.
Heading: Has the height to compete in the air and generally does so to good effect, although he does have a tendency to misjudge the flight of the ball under pressure. He did so twice in the early part of Ivory Coast's semifinal victory over DR Congo -- the second occasion leading to a penalty after he handled the ball -- and committed a foul out wide after doing so once more in the second half of the final against Ghana.
Close control: Possesses good touch for a defender and is confident striding forward out of defence with the ball at his feet.
Passing: Passes the ball crisply and accurately over short distances, but his longer passes vary in quality. Capable of playing quickly within one or two touches when necessary and is relatively comfortable using his left foot for shorter passes.
Positioning: Alert to his surroundings and holds a good line with his fellow defenders. Anticipates danger well and steps forward well to intercept when appropriate.
Finishing: Yet to score a professional goal for club or country but can be a threat from set pieces.
What the experts say
Espanyol coach Sergio Gonzalez: "For me he's a spectacular player and I'm confident in his potential. He has all the basics to be a Primera player."
African football expert Salim Masoud Said: "Bailly has simultaneously shown remarkable maturity and a rawness to his game, chiefly in dealing with the high ball. That makes him far from the complete article."
David Cartlidge @davidjaca
Villarreal going for Espanyol’s Eric Bailly as their Gabriel replacement is an eye-opener. A short, but impressive stint in La Liga so far.
Conclusion
When Bailly was warming up ahead of his first-team debut for Espanyol in October he could scarcely have believed that just four months later he would be a African Cup of Nations winner and on his way to a team involved in European competition. Yet the coolness with which he has taken on each new challenge would suggest that he is capable of continuing his ascension once he settles in at Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarine moved quickly to secure Bailly's signature following the transfer of Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal. While one would imagine that Mateo Musacchio and Victor Ruiz will make up their first-choice defensive pairing for the remainder of the season, in time Bailly will hope to force himself into contention for a starting berth.
There are still some deficiencies to his game that need to be worked on, while his relative lack of first team action to date means that his inexperience can be expected to show at times, but Villarreal have purchased a player with plenty of promise.
The club's excellent scouting network rarely gets these things wrong. If everything goes to plan, it could be Bailly who secures the big transfer fee that in turn helps fund the purchase of the next talented young defender.
Nick Dorrington is a freelance football writer and author of the Scout's Notebook blog. You can follow him on Twitter @chewingthecoca.
http://www.espnfc.com/blog/scouts-n.../eric-bailly-tipped-for-the-top-at-villarreal
Yip still a penalty but one is far more obvious, stupid to give away and much more likely to be given.
Haha you have no ide how much people have watched him and you didnt even mention him until a day ago, which is a bit strange when you claim to have been watching this player of 'astonishing progress'.
The same old arguments when people have nothing left to say... 'ive watched x player more than you.... ive been a supporter longer than you' etc.
Out of interest where do you see this progress ending? How soon will he be at a top club?
Welcome on my ignore list. Waste the time of other users with your continuous nonsense.
