Eric Bailly image 3

Eric Bailly Ivory Coast flag

2020-21 Performances


View full 2020-21 profile

6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
21
Clean sheets
9
Goals
0
Assists
1
Yellow cards
4
Status
Not open for further replies.
I’m absolutely not saying he was bad, i thought he was good. Just don’t think this was a performance so superior that it makes him the best defender at the club. He did his job against a weak side just like the rest of the defence, but adding a bit more drama to it. Like the tackle in the penalty box.
We know a-man he should have backed off all the way behind Henderson and not risked the penalty, like our master defender Lindelof.
 
What the hell was he thinking on the McTominay goal?!
Absolutely. We were very close to an all time great Bailly moment, Eric cleaning McT out of it to snuff out our first real sight of goal. Could have been epic. Would also, of course, have resulted in the now mandatory 6 week Bailly lay off as he dislocated his collarbone or some such nonsense.
 
Bailly’s a bit of an odd one in that he can look so assured and solid one game, then have a complete mare the next.

Yepp, good again today but he aint reliable. Libdeløf was also very good tonight. Atleast they compete with each other
 
He looked class. If only he's not made of glass, that CB spot is his.
 
We should ease him back. Looked great today but Brighton were not playing their first team
 
Really enjoyed Baillys performance tonight, he deserves to start on the weekend. He seems to not be diving in and staying on his feet more now while choosing his moments to clear the deck better. All he needs to do is stay fit.
 
That moment he ate up the ground when their striker was through on goal and ended up winning the free kick getting to the ball first is exactly why we need him in the team.

Another pretty spotless performance on a difficult night with the weather. He is our best CB on form right now and deserves to start.

He also allows us to play a higher line a lot more safely which gives the rest of the team confidence to press - this is very important.
Yeah, he is pretty rapid. Together with his eagerness in the tackle, he should compliment Maguire well.
 
Yepp, good again today but he aint reliable. Libdeløf was also very good tonight. Atleast they compete with each other
You know who else isn't reliable? Lindelof. Maguire has had some mares recently as well, although to his credit at least he's never injured. I'm really tired of people acting like Bailly is the only one of our defenders that does stupid stuff, because I don't think we have a single defender at the club that I look at and know he's never going to make a mistake. At least with Bailly you get the trade off of defending on the front foot and with athleticism instead of looking unsure every time someone is running at him.
 
We know a-man he should have backed off all the way behind Henderson and not risked the penalty, like our master defender Lindelof.
Sorry if I’m going against Club Consensus who thinks is a tackle is the only way, feels like it’s AWB thread all over again.
 
It’s a bit similar to how people evaluated AWB half a year ago. Bailly did the same job as every one else in the defence, but with one or two more spectacular tackles and suddenly he is superior to everybody else and the best defender at the club. (We played Brighton B-team)
Relative to the other defenders on the pitch against the same opposition he was supperior.

Lindelof kept getting trapped facing the corner flag and was having to make risky passes to try and clear possession. This was a consequence of him being slow to turn when receiving the ball and generally poor situational awareness. Bailly was picking up the ball and seeing the play much faster. He was also snuffing out developing play on the left quickly.

It's hard to compare CBs to FBs, but generally I thought that Williams wasn't doing Lindelof many favours on the left which may have made his job harder than normal compared to when Shaw is down that side. But with that said but Shaw and Williams are closer in levels than Dalot and AWB so I expect Bailly on the right side of defence with AWB outside him would be a road block for most teams who aim to play the channels. I will admit, if Bailly had to play on the left side of defence it may be a slightly different debate.
 
Thought he did well tonight.
I generally think Lindelof is better than he is made out to be and Bailly not as good, but I think Bailly deserves a chance starting alongside Maguire at the weekend.
 
What the hell was he thinking on the McTominay goal?!

Absolutely. We were very close to an all time great Bailly moment, Eric cleaning McT out of it to snuff out our first real sight of goal. Could have been epic. Would also, of course, have resulted in the now mandatory 6 week Bailly lay off as he dislocated his collarbone or some such nonsense.

Man that was fecking hilarious. Luckily it was against McTerminator, who bounced Bailly off and scored a very good goal.

We know a-man he should have backed off all the way behind Henderson and not risked the penalty, like our master defender Lindelof.

:lol:
 
What the hell was he thinking on the McTominay goal?!
Bailly doesn't eyes on the back of his head. If anything it's the lack of communication from McTominay.

Bailly timed his run perfectly, while McTominay was lucky that Ben White made a serious mistake, playing McTominay onside. Against a defensive line that played the offside trap correctly, McTominay mistimed run would cancel our chance.

Tactically Bailly was perfect in this situation. So if one is looking for things to complain, there is nothing to see here.

Edit: Credit to GifLord.

Here is the gif for better understanding of the situation

 
Last edited:
We know a-man he should have backed off all the way behind Henderson and not risked the penalty, like our master defender Lindelof.
Not even behind Henderson, just backing out of the scene and then fighting with Bruno on the bench.
 
What the hell was he thinking on the McTominay goal?!

I don't think our team talks enough out there. That's why these things happen. Although I'll forgive players when wanting to score. That said, I've mentioned this before and there was another example tonight when McTominay had a man close on his back and didn't seem to notice. We need at least one person talking out there.
 
Can people stop talking about his injuries until he actually gets injured?
I mean whats the point. Hes been healthy for a while. Not playing him cuz you expect him to get injured is not a valid reason.
Let him play. He is healthy. He deserves it.

If something bad happens oh well, it is what it is but he is healthy so just play him. He just might be our best defender.
 
If Smalling doesn't leave. I'd love to see him and Bailly even in a cup game. Think they would complement each other well
 
If Smalling doesn't leave. I'd love to see him and Bailly even in a cup game. Think they would complement each other well
Didnt we see that already under Jose?
 
Bailly doesn't eyes on the back of his head. If anything it's the lack of communication from McTominay.

Bailly timed his run perfectly, while McTominay was lucky that Ben White made a serious mistake, playing McTominay onside. Against a defensive line that played the offside trap correctly, McTominay mistimed run would cancel our chance.

Tactically Bailly was perfect in this situation. So if one is looking for things to complain, there is nothing to see here.

Edit: Credit to GifLord.

Here is the gif for better understanding of the situation


While I agree that White played him onside, it was equally Ighalo's good movement that forced White to take those steps and, unknowingly, play McTominay onside behind him.
 
Can people stop talking about his injuries until he actually gets injured?
I mean whats the point. Hes been healthy for a while. Not playing him cuz you expect him to get injured is not a valid reason.
Let him play. He is healthy. He deserves it.

If something bad happens oh well, it is what it is but he is healthy so just play him. He just might be our best defender.

It's clear his recklessness is a direct cause of many of his injuries so it isn't just a case of oh well, it is what it is. He doesn't get injured because of bad luck but predictably poor choices. Our best periods have been marked by having a consistent back 3 and it's a common theme among league winners to have ultra reliable centre backs, not just in their play (which struggles with) but in getting onto the pitch (which Bailly also struggles with). I like him but he's unreliable, that's not something you can brush off easily.
 
Relative to the other defenders on the pitch against the same opposition he was supperior.

Lindelof kept getting trapped facing the corner flag and was having to make risky passes to try and clear possession. This was a consequence of him being slow to turn when receiving the ball and generally poor situational awareness. Bailly was picking up the ball and seeing the play much faster. He was also snuffing out developing play on the left quickly.

It's hard to compare CBs to FBs, but generally I thought that Williams wasn't doing Lindelof many favours on the left which may have made his job harder than normal compared to when Shaw is down that side. But with that said but Shaw and Williams are closer in levels than Dalot and AWB so I expect Bailly on the right side of defence with AWB outside him would be a road block for most teams who aim to play the channels. I will admit, if Bailly had to play on the left side of defence it may be a slightly different debate.
Yes Lindelof ended up in places where he needed to play his way out with a bit risky passes, at a few occasions. Even if it turned out well, I agree it can be risky. Bailly cleared similar situations to throw in at 3-4 occasions instead, which might be smarter. (Lindelof also cleared a ball or two to throw in.)

Again, I think he had a good game. It’s just the over reaction here I compared with the over reaction when AWB played his spectacular style in his first months. Also at that time I got some peoples up and jumping because I thought AWB poor positioning and poor ball handling was masked with spectacular tackling. Its more or less the sam know, when people think Bailly is the best CB at the club. The other CBs have played week in, week out, against all opposition last season, while he has played a handful matches like this where the opponents are weak. It’s not enough to claim he is much better than Maguire or Lindelof.

I prefer calm defenders. I don’t think it is good when a CB is throwing himself in a risky two foot tackle in his own box, when they already were 2 vs 1 against the attacker. Others like that and i respect that. Just don’t confuse it with superior defending.

edit: another positive takeaway is that Bailly and Lindelof played well together. It was a bit weak opposition, but they had good cooperation. Of course they will never have Maguire’s aerial abilities but they offer better defending on the ground. Maybe it can work as Henderson is more dominant in the box compared to DDG.
 
Yes Lindelof ended up in places where he needed to play his way out with a bit risky passes, at a few occasions. Even if it turned out well, I agree it can be risky. Bailly cleared similar situations to throw in at 3-4 occasions instead, which might be smarter. (Lindelof also cleared a ball or two to throw in.)

Again, I think he had a good game. It’s just the over reaction here I compared with the over reaction when AWB played his spectacular style in his first months. Also at that time I got some peoples up and jumping because I thought AWB poor positioning and poor ball handling was masked with spectacular tackling. Its more or less the sam know, when people think Bailly is the best CB at the club. The other CBs have played week in, week out, against all opposition last season, while he has played a handful matches like this where the opponents are weak. It’s not enough to claim he is much better than Maguire or Lindelof.

I prefer calm defenders. I don’t think it is good when a CB is throwing himself in a risky two foot tackle in his own box, when they already were 2 vs 1 against the attacker. Others like that and i respect that. Just don’t confuse it with superior defending.

edit: another positive takeaway is that Bailly and Lindelof played well together. It was a bit weak opposition, but they had good cooperation. Of course they will never have Maguire’s aerial abilities but they offer better defending on the ground. Maybe it can work as Henderson is more dominant in the box compared to DDG.

Both Bailly and Lindelof are probably equally error prone - Bailly's mistakes spectacular, Lindelof more subtle but still the same end result.

Bailly's recovery pace and ability to win the ball high means he's a much better option than Lindelof though. Lindelof is an average defender at best.
 
It's clear his recklessness is a direct cause of many of his injuries so it isn't just a case of oh well, it is what it is. He doesn't get injured because of bad luck but predictably poor choices. Our best periods have been marked by having a consistent back 3 and it's a common theme among league winners to have ultra reliable centre backs, not just in their play (which struggles with) but in getting onto the pitch (which Bailly also struggles with). I like him but he's unreliable, that's not something you can brush off easily.

Honestly, I can't actually remember how he got most of his injuries. Can you remind me?

The one against Chelsea in the Cup semi I remember, mostly cos I couldn't believe Maguire had gone flying into the back of him without cause. The others I have forgotten.

Perhaps mistakenly, I never got the impression that Bailly injured himself a lot. It was more that he had a tendency to do mad s-t. Like suddenly decide to take someone out or go for a ball with the wrong part of his body, foot when he should head etc, leading to calamity.

For me, however, Lindelof and Maguire's lack of pace makes me willing to live with Bailly's recklessness. When he's on it, and he hasn't had a bad game for awhile, he compensates for a glaring weakness in our defence. We are one of the easiest teams to sucker punch with a ball in behind, Lindelof and Maguire just can't cope with speed.
 
While I agree that White played him onside, it was equally Ighalo's good movement that forced White to take those steps and, unknowingly, play McTominay onside behind him.
Ighalo was offside. When you look at when Mata made contact with the ball, the whole Brighton defense beside Ben White was well coached, to keep the line. Ben White was few bodies away from Ighalo. He was to defend his zone, not dealing with Ighalo was well marked, and not in his zone. There was no reason for him to get triggered and fall out of line. It's just individual error.
 
Last edited:
Ighalo was offside. When you look at when Mata made contact with the ball, the whole Brighton defense beside Ben White was well coached, to keep the line. Ben White was few bodies away from Ighalo. He was to defend his zone, not dealing with Ighalo was well marked, and not in his zone. There was no reason for him to get triggered and fall out of line. It's just individual error.
Defenders always react to runners on set pieces. It is an invidividual error that defenders are actually trained to do. He didn't know he was covering McT (which is the error, not that he reacted on Ighalo)
 
Defenders always react to runners on set pieces. It is an invidividual error that defenders are actually trained to do. He didn't know he was covering McT (which is the error, not that he reacted on Ighalo)
He was stay with the line to keep the offside trap. Then move when the free kick taker makes contact with the ball, and defend his zone. He was not to cover anyone.

He was the only one moved and broke the offside trap. I don't know how you can't see it as it is. Individual error.
 
Sorry if I’m going against Club Consensus who thinks is a tackle is the only way, feels like it’s AWB thread all over again.
Nah mate, it was a risky situation but he got it right and I think you underappreciate what a good sliding ramming tackle does to an attacker. The presence of intimidating CBs like Bailly compared to the likes of Lindelof helps defenses.
 
Bailly needs to compose himself as a defender. He's just too eager, clumsy and rash on occasions. Especially these days with penalties given out like confetti. Reminds me of the issues Jones face to a lesser extent. If he resolves a few of these issues he has the attributes of being a good solid defender.
 
A Carabao Cup game isn't conclusive but Bailly deserves to get a chance in the league to prove himself fit and ready.
 
Bailly needs to compose himself as a defender. He's just too eager, clumsy and rash on occasions. Especially these days with penalties given out like confetti. Reminds me of the issues Jones face to a lesser extent. If he resolves a few of these issues he has the attributes of being a good solid defender.

Him and Williams, when they are in the own penalty area, I am praying for them not to do anything silly, which is not a good thing.

It always seems he wants to win the ball every time, complete opposite to Lindelof who will back off.
 
Him and Williams, when they are in the own penalty area, I am praying for them not to do anything silly, which is not a good thing.

It always seems he wants to win the ball every time, complete opposite to Lindelof who will back off.
Yes, Williams is also similar. I'd add Rojo as well. You really don't need to win the ball as a defender all the time. There are other ways to stop attacking players from gaining an advantage.
 
Bailly doesn't eyes on the back of his head. If anything it's the lack of communication from McTominay.

Bailly timed his run perfectly, while McTominay was lucky that Ben White made a serious mistake, playing McTominay onside. Against a defensive line that played the offside trap correctly, McTominay mistimed run would cancel our chance.

Tactically Bailly was perfect in this situation. So if one is looking for things to complain, there is nothing to see here.

Edit: Credit to GifLord.

Here is the gif for better understanding of the situation



I think that's doing McTominay a disservice somewhat. He can see up the line and see where White is. It's not mistimed if he can see the last man and knows where he can and can't be. Even at sunday league level, you're coached at set pieces to check for a defender who is out of the defensive line and exploit it, so I would doubt that McTominay doesn't know what he's doing here.

Though I will agree that Bailly's run is timed perfectly as well, as he probably can't see that White is playing everyone on.
 
You know who else isn't reliable? Lindelof. Maguire has had some mares recently as well, although to his credit at least he's never injured. I'm really tired of people acting like Bailly is the only one of our defenders that does stupid stuff, because I don't think we have a single defender at the club that I look at and know he's never going to make a mistake. At least with Bailly you get the trade off of defending on the front foot and with athleticism instead of looking unsure every time someone is running at him.

Last season he was very much reliable. He's had a bad start though, but might be on the right track again now.

Bailly has never been as reliable as Lindeløf was last season. Bailly has some games where he's outstanding, but the next game he might be terrible again. You never know about him. Its the same over and over again. Every season the same happens. Fans thinks he's fantastic after a few cup games and then he goes on and does some blunders and gets injured. 5 months later,repeat
 
Status
Not open for further replies.