If Bailly can keep injury at bay, he’s untouchable
AMID the drastic tonal shift following Liverpool’s goal, Jose Mourinho became exasperated with Eric Bailly. He had injured himself while putting one into his own net and Mourinho had told Victor Lindelof he was about to replace him.
Bailly insisted he could continue so Lindelof asked Mourinho if he should restart his warm up. The Portuguese impatiently ushered Lindelof back towards the Stretford End, seemingly unconvinced it was not Bailly’s pride that was hurt.
United supporters with long memories must have feared a repeat of what happened in 2007, when Sir Alex Ferguson urged an impeded Rio Ferdinand to play through the pain barrier against Middlesbrough. Ferdinand’s groin was so sore he could not cover Stewart Downing’s cross at the near post and Mark Viduka nodded in to earn the visitors a point.
Bailly is usually compared to Nemanja Vidic and he showed similar steeliness to complete the game. If there were any doubt over his injury, he seemed to banish it late on by hurling himself at Giorgino Wijnaldum’s cross on perhaps the one occasion the terrific Ashley Young was drawn inside.
In the modern market, Bailly is a bona fide bargain. At £30m, he possesses Vidic’s steel and Ferdinand’s silk, and there were very few memorable instances where Ferdinand ridiculed an attacker like Bailly did against Mohamed Salah on Saturday. His pirouette past the Egyptian inside his own half elicited a roar comparable with a goal celebration.
The United manager’s mood was relaxed in victory at his post-match press conference. “Fantastic performance, amazing goal and great spirit to cope with the goal and to cope with the injury,” he said to laughter while discussing Bailly’s performance.
“So obviously painful. That’s the Eric we love.”
Bailly has become one of the most revered United players during the Mourinho era for his eccentricity and excellence.
After the Liverpool game he was mocked by team-mates. ‘Goal of the season,’ Ander Herrera posted on his Instagram account.
Mourinho alluded to it afterwards and it was testament to Bailly’s brilliance that his own goal did not overshadow what was a first United start since November 5.
Mourinho should have perhaps integrated him back into the first XI sooner – Bailly was starting against Liverpool three weeks after his comeback cameo at Huddersfield – and there was an element of risk recalling him against the intense trio of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Mourinho’s untouchables list now arguably stands at six: Bailly, De Gea, Antonio Valencia, Nemanja Matic, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku.
If Bailly is to secure that status then his fitness has to improve. Every United centre-half, with the exception of Lindelof, is synonymous with injury.