Eric Bailly

[Leo_Messi]

20 year old Ivorian central defender (1.87 cm) that recently won the African Cup of Nations 2015 with Côte d'Ivoire. In that tournament he was a regular and did very well. Especially in the final against Ghana. In January this year he secured a transfer (€5.7 million) to Villarreal from Espanyol and a contract until the summer of 2020. He arrived to the Catalan club in the summer of 2011.

His breakthrough came earlier this season as he managed to feature in 5 league games for Espanyol before he was sold. He has played 2 games in the league for Villarreal so far this season. The most recent against RM a few days ago.

In my eyes he is one of the most promising players at his position and definitely a player that the club should keep a very close eye on.

Bailly is obviously still very raw but it's obvious that he is a special player. I think that he demonstrated that against RM Sunday night. He made 1-2 quite big mistakes but outside of that he was flawless. He made a few excellent clearances after one of those 2 mistakes that he committed. This showed his mental strength despite his young age and inexperience.

Here is a interesting article about him.

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/scouts-n.../eric-bailly-tipped-for-the-top-at-villarreal

A short video (not many videos of him out there).

 

[EdmondDantes]

He does look promising. I noticed him once or twice recently.

 

[JamDav1982]

I thought he was really poor against Real, made a good few mistakes to let Ronaldo go free. Gave away a penalty on Ronaldo and poor positioning almost gave another one away on Chicarito.

Looked very, very raw and wasnt a good performance.

Hopefully gets better though.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Below average IMO ,we really poor in ACN SF and his consistent mistakes could have been costly
The talent is there but he is years from being a world class CB IMO

 

[Leo_Messi]

I thought he was really poor against Real, made a good few mistakes to let Ronaldo go free. Gave away a penalty on Ronaldo and poor positioning almost gave another one away on Chicarito.

Looked very, very raw and wasnt a good performance.

Hopefully gets better though.

He made 2 mistakes. One of which was the penalty. You see such scenes in every match whenever there is a standard situation. Ronaldo, as the experienced diver he is, knew how to take advantage of that. Definitely a mistake but it's more down to his inexperience.

A RM player committed the exact same type of foul in the box during a Villarreal corner kick yet the referee did not blow the whistle.

Still he did very well after that and prevented many dangerous chances from occurring. He played against one of the best attacking trios in the world. Away from home in a new team for him. I think this was his second game for Villarreal! We have to remember all of this.

No way did he commit a penalty against Chicharito.

Below average IMO ,we really poor in ACN SF and his consistent mistakes could have been costly
The talent is there but he is years from being a world class CB IMO

How is a player that played every single game for Côte d'Ivoire during the ACN despite his young age and lack of experience "below average"? Moreover he was a very important defensive piece for the Ivorian national team that ended as winners of the tournament.

How is a player that only played 5 games for Espanyol "below average" when a club such as Villarreal is willing to buy him and then use him from the start right away?

Bailly is raw, inexperienced etc. but he is sure as hell not "below average". He has every tool to succeed IMO. Height, physical strength, pace and technique. He seems to have a great potential for assuming leadership too.

City along with a few other top clubs were rumored to be interested in him before he joined Villarreal. I am definitely not the only one that can spot the talent.

It will be interesting to see if he is going to start tonight. I doubt so as both Musacchio and Ruiz were rested against RM. Anyway definitely a player to look out for.

 

[khaled_a_d]

He made 2 mistakes. One of which was the penalty. You see such scenes in every match whenever there is a standard situation. Ronaldo, as the experienced diver he is, knew how to take advantage of that. Definitely a mistake but it's more down to his inexperience.

A RM player committed the exact same type of foul in the box during a Villarreal corner kick yet the referee did not blow the whistle.

Still he did very well after that and prevented many dangerous chances from occurring. He played against one of the best attacking trios in the world. Away from home in a new team for him. I think this was his second game for Villarreal! We have to remember all of this.

No way did he commit a penalty against Chicharito.



How is a player that played every single game for Côte d'Ivoire during the ACN despite his young age and lack of experience "below average"? Moreover he was a very important defensive piece for the Ivorian national team that ended as winners of the tournament.

How is a player that only played 5 games for Espanyol "below average" when a club such as Villarreal is willing to buy him and then use him from the start right away?

Bailly is raw, inexperienced etc. but he is sure as hell not "below average". He has every tool to succeed IMO. Height, physical strength, pace and technique. He seems to have a great potential for assuming leadership too.

City along with a few other top clubs were rumored to be interested in him before he joined Villarreal. I am definitely not the only one that can spot the talent.

It will be interesting to see if he is going to start tonight. I doubt so as both Musacchio and Ruiz were rested against RM. Anyway definitely a player to look out for.

Right now he isn't good enough to be considered solid player atm ,he has a future ahead of him and he has the tools but right now? I didn't deny the talent .I denied the overall quality he has .he is way too mistake prone and lack all around game
Those could improve and he could be very good player .but potential doesn't mean a player is good right now

 

[JamDav1982]

He made 2 mistakes. One of which was the penalty. You see such scenes in every match whenever there is a standard situation. Ronaldo, as the experienced diver he is, knew how to take advantage of that. Definitely a mistake but it's more down to his inexperience.

A RM player committed the exact same type of foul in the box during a Villarreal corner kick yet the referee did not blow the whistle.

Still he did very well after that and prevented many dangerous chances from occurring. He played against one of the best attacking trios in the world. Away from home in a new team for him. I think this was his second game for Villarreal! We have to remember all of this.

No way did he commit a penalty against Chicharito.



How is a player that played every single game for Côte d'Ivoire during the ACN despite his young age and lack of experience "below average"? Moreover he was a very important defensive piece for the Ivorian national team that ended as winners of the tournament.

How is a player that only played 5 games for Espanyol "below average" when a club such as Villarreal is willing to buy him and then use him from the start right away?

Bailly is raw, inexperienced etc. but he is sure as hell not "below average". He has every tool to succeed IMO. Height, physical strength, pace and technique. He seems to have a great potential for assuming leadership too.

City along with a few other top clubs were rumored to be interested in him before he joined Villarreal. I am defin

itely not the only one that can spot the talent.

It will be interesting to see if he is going to start tonight. I doubt so as both Musacchio and Ruiz were rested against RM. Anyway definitely a player to look out for.

He hauled Ronaldo down for the penalty in an absolutely obvious and stupid manner.

If you think he had a good game then fair enough. I thought he was terrible and constantly got dragged out of position.

Nothing to do with being a diver, any player would have gone down in that situation.

 

[Leo_Messi]

Right now he isn't good enough to be considered solid player atm ,he has a future ahead of him and he has the tools but right now? I didn't deny the talent .I denied the overall quality he has .he is way too mistake prone and lack all around game
Those could improve and he could be very good player .but potential doesn't mean a player is good right now

I know but you still wrote that he is "below average". I don't agree with that. You are not "below average" if you play every single game for your national team (Côte d'Ivoire are a strong national team) during the ACN winning the tournament in the process.

You are not "below average" if you just after 5 league games for Espanyol at the age of 20 years are wanted by many top clubs and end up going to Villarreal and cementing your place in the team quickly.

I agree with the rest. That's why I wrote that the club should keep a close eye on him on the run long. He is not an option right now.

 

[khaled_a_d]

I know but you still wrote that he is "below average". I don't agree with that. You are not "below average" if you play every single game for your national team (Côte d'Ivoire are a strong national team) during the ACN winning the tournament in the process.

You are not "below average" if you just after 5 league games for Espanyol at the age of 20 years are wanted by many top clubs and end up going to Villarreal and cementing your place in the team quickly.

I agree with the rest. That's why I wrote that the club should keep a close eye on him on the run long. He is not an option right now.

5 games in a club like Espanyol isn't such a big achievement tbh .plenty of players get such a chance ,I didn't watch him with Espanyol tbh so I don't know if he was gr8 with them .
But with Ivory Cost ,he was clearly the worst player in the starting 11 IMO .
Ondoa was Cameroon starting GK but he is the 3rd GK for our B team
May be I've just watched Bailly worst games .but he is way too mistake prone for my taste to consider him a good player right now

 

[Leo_Messi]

5 games in a club like Espanyol isn't such a big achievement tbh .plenty of players get such a chance ,I didn't watch him with Espanyol tbh so I don't know if he was gr8 with them .
But with Ivory Cost ,he was clearly the worst player in the starting 11 IMO .
Ondoa was Cameroon starting GK but he is the 3rd GK for our B team
May be I've just watched Bailly worst games .but he is way too mistake prone for my taste to consider him a good player right now

No, he was not. Did you see the final? I did and he performed very well. Do you really think that the coach of the Ivory Coast would have selected him in EVERY single game if he was this bad? Especially considering the fact that he was totally unknown just 6 months ago.

Ivory Coast actually won the tournament. Cameroon were nowhere to see. I don't see the logic of that comparison.

You think that Villarreal would have bought him if he was this bad? Would he have played for Villarreal right away too if he was this bad? You are very harsh.

Every single talented defender made mistakes after so few games at the highest level. Varane did it, Marquinhos etc. Bailly is a special talent. I don't understand how one cannot see this.

He hauled Ronaldo down for the penalty in an absolutely obvious and stupid manner.

If you think he had a good game then fair enough. I thought he was terrible and constantly got dragged out of position.

Nothing to do with being a diver, any player would have gone down in that situation.

I already wrote that it was a penalty and that it was a mistake. A mistake due to inexperience. Still you can't deny that Ronaldo milked it all he could. Also a RM defender (don't recall if it was Pepe or Varane) made a similar foul later on in the game without the referee blowing his whistle). You basically see similar shirt-pulling in every single game.

Yes, I do. Considering the circumstances and opponent. His team also achieved a great result. He had an excellent first half where he did not set a foot wrong. I just watched the game again.

 

[JamDav1982]

Bailly had Ronaldo by the waist and was pulling him down, about as clear and stupid a penalty as you will find.

No idea what relevance you think it had that Ronaldo 'milked it'. Which he didnt even need to do.

The Real foul you are speaking about was Carvajal and it was nowhere near as blatant as Carvajal let go of the player before he went down. Bailly dragged Ronaldo down after being caught square on and wrong side.

Seen it different then as I thought he was really raw and constantly got caught out.

 

[Leo_Messi]

Bailly had Ronaldo by the waist and was pulling him down, about as clear and stupid a penalty as you will find.

No idea what relevance you think it had that Ronaldo 'milked it'. Which he didnt even need to do.

The Real foul you are speaking about was Carvajal and it was nowhere near as blatant as Carvajal let go of the player before he went down. Bailly dragged Ronaldo down after being caught square on and wrong side.

Seen it different then as I thought he was really raw and constantly got caught out.

How many times do I need to tell you that it was a mistake? We DON'T disagree. Carvajal made a similar foul. Had the referee seen it he should have whistled it. Such shirt-pulling is seen in every single game.

You cannot base your opinion of a player based on 1 single game. I have seen Bailly play 4-5 times now. He was good against us last year too. Especially in the first half. Watch the video that I posted in post 1.

Anyway I am quite sure that he will move to an even bigger club in the not so distant future and I look forward to following him. Villarreal is a cracking team to watch too.

 

[JamDav1982]

How many times do I need to tell you that it was a mistake? We DON'T disagree. Carvajal made a similar foul. Had the referee seen it he should have whistled it. Such shirt-pulling is seen in every single game.

Anyway you cannot base your opinion of a player based on 1 single game. I have seen Bailly play 4-5 times now. He was good against us last year too. Especially in the first half. Watch the video that I posted in post 1.

No its not seen in every game. Defenders push and pull all the time but Bailly dragged Ronaldo to ground from wrong side. Always be given more so than defenders with arm round attackers etc.

Irrelevant that Carvajals should have been a pen. It wasnt as obvious to the referee anyway.

Go and read the La Liga thread and see what people thought of Bailly in that gam... people were laughing at how bad he was.

Maybe he will go on to improve not saying he wont but he didnt play well against Real, only seems to be you that thinks he did.

 

[Kerrybai]

Look like a disaster against Madrid but I have not seen enough of him to tell if this was the norm or not. Will keep an eye on him.

 

[Leo_Messi]

No its not seen in every game. Defenders push and pull all the time but Bailly dragged Ronaldo to ground from wrong side. Always be given more so than defenders with arm round attackers etc.

Irrelevant that Carvajals should have been a pen. It wasnt as obvious to the referee anyway.

Go and read the La Liga thread and see what people thought of Bailly in that gam... people were laughing at how bad he was.

Maybe he will go on to improve not saying he wont but he didnt play well against Real, only seems to be you that thinks he did.

You are exaggerating. Yes, it's seen very often. No, it's not irrelevant. It just shows how often it occurs. Even a 100 times as experienced player as Carvajal (and many other top defenders) commit such mistakes from time to time.

I saw many people praise him in local Spanish media.

You have obviously not watched him aside from this game. "Go on to improve", lol.
He is constantly improving hence the huge steps that he has taken in his career at such a short time span. 6 months ago he was playing in the Segunda División B - Grupo III for Espanyol B. A few months later he secured a starting spot in the first team, became a regular for the national team of Ivory Coast and played in every single game in the ACN. Winning the tournament in the process. Later to secure a move to Villarreal and play right from the start. A blind person should see the astonishing progress.

We have nothing more to discuss.