Why Eric Bailly and not Harry Maguire should be Manchester United’s regular centre-back
Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League once again raised serious questions about the team's title credentials. One of the biggest concerns remains the Red Devils' defence, which once against looked completely disorganised, conceding two avoidable goals.
Poor marking, lack of awareness and sloppy positioning have been the bane of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side this season. Not even the presence of £80 million signing Harry Maguire or the arrival of multiple Champions League and World Cup winner Raphael Varane has sealed the leak.
Atalanta gave the Reds a torrid time in Bergamo. They were unlucky not to have gotten the three points after being denied at the death by a wonderful Cristiano Ronaldo strike.
Eric Bailly’s game by numbers vs. Atalanta:
85% pass accuracy
68 total touches
11 total duels contested
7 total duels won
4 interceptions
3 attempted tackles
2 successful tackles
2 blocks
1 clearance
Kept his team in the game time after time. 🔥 https://t.co/UhyYs7V0wK
Eric Bailly makes case for regular starting berth
Ronaldo's goal-scoring prowess came in handy for Manchester United against Atalanta. But Eric Bailly's presence at the back equally contributed to their latest draw.
If not for the Ivory Coast international's authority and timely blocks, Manchester United would've lost the game. That says a lot about the other defenders in the team, especially Harry Maguire.
The Reds captain once again looked clueless, and was a liability at the back. He made several mistakes, and was almost always too slow to sense any danger.
Maguire has been great for Manchester United in the past. but he's currently a pale shadow of himself. When fit., the England defender is a mainstay in United's defence, but that cannot be allowed to continue anymore.
Bailly surely did enough against Atalanta to warrant a starting spot over Maguire. The 27-year-old offered stability at the back, especially after Varane's injury-enforced substitution.
He ended the game with an 87% passing accuracy, 68 touches, seven duels won, four interceptions and two crucial blocks. One of the blocks denied Duvan Zapata when Atalanta were leading 2-1.
A solid first #UCL outing of the season for @EricBailly24 💪
@TeamViewer | #BringingYouCloser https://t.co/9keKuPTsYG
It's time for Manchester United to drop shambolic Harry Maguire
A manager has only two options when a player is badly out of form. The first is to keep playing him with the hope the player will get better, and the other is to drop him.
Solaksjer has already tried the first with Maguire, but it is just not working. Now the Norwegian manager must have the temerity to drop his captain.
It's not as if he doesn't have better options at the back. If fit, Varane will always start. But currently, the team is better off if the Frenchman is partnered by Bailly, instead of Maguire, who has been shambolic for much of the season.
Even Victor Lindelof has been better than the former Leicester City defender this term. It'll be foolhardy for Solskjaer to continue playing a player who's clearly off colour at the moment.
Manchester United may have gotten away with Maguire's mistakes after snatching a 2-2 draw at Atalanta. But they were smashed 5-0 by an unforgiving Liverpool side just a week ago.
A big clash against Manchester City beckons on Saturday. Another thrashing could happen, unless Solskjaer is ready to drop his captain.