Villarreal’s Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly started the season better than even he could have hoped for.
He played 90 minutes in the club’s first seven Liga matches and struck up a partnership with Victor Ruiz that looked to be rock solid.
Round eight was where things began to go pear-shaped for the 21-year-old. Already sitting on a yellow card, and with his team down by a goal to Celta Vigo, Bailly was sent from the field for picking up a second yellow card for a deliberate handball.
Since that match, Bailly has been in and out of the side, due to both his shortcomings and the return from injury of Mateo Musacchio.
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When the Argentine returned for the Yellow Submarine, Bailly was reduced to a bench player, watching on as he and former partner Ruiz would play a successive five matches in which the team would only concede once.
Bailly was thrown a lifeline at Villarreal as Ruiz would pick up one too many bookings and would have to sit out last weekend’s match with Espanyol.
Looking to come in and force his manager’s hand, Bailly would have expected a stellar performance that would make Marcelino sit up and take notice. Unfortunately for the young defender, he did anything but.
The first half was one of woe for Bailly as he was arguably at fault for both Espanyol goals. He was bullied off the ball for Felipe Caicedo’s strike and failed to track his marker, which left Gerard Moreno an open opportunity on goal which he took with aplomb.
Breaking the Ivorian’s heart, Marcelino replaced him at half time with Daniele Bonera.
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That is not to take anything away from the achievements of Bonera, whose career includes 16 caps for the Italian national team and has spent the last nine seasons with AC Milan.
But for a 21-year-old to be replaced at half time by a 34-year-old never sends great messages. Worse so when that 34-year-old has only seen one whole league match this season, the match in which his team conceded more goals than any other throughout the campaign.
Thus the message from the man in charge is clear: until you improve, you are my fourth choice.
Musacchio is number one, and deservedly so. Since returning from an eight-month injury lay-off, the 25-year-old has been imperious in the centre of defence and has only seen three goals conceded on his watch, two of which were when Bailly was on the field.
The Argentinian international would now be considered one of the first names on the team sheet, as arguably only Bruno and Denis Suarez have been better than he since returning from injury.
The position next to him should really be up for grabs, but at this moment belongs to Ruiz. The 27-year-old has been a mainstay since his transfer from rivals Valencia but errors have crept into his game. Errant distribution, which has caused both goals and opportunities for opposition teams, have meant that every part of his game is now under the microscope, a potential opportunity for those below him on the pecking order.
Bonera and Bailly are those who watch from the bench. The aged Italian was signed purely as cover but now seems to be the preferred option to the youngster.
Bailly now has to work harder than ever before to put himself back in contention. What will both help and hinder him at his age.
Central defenders need to be leaders, to be both physically and mentally tough and to command the team from the deepest parts of the field. Physicality is something the Ivorian has in spades. Like many of his countrymen, he is tall and strong but it is his mental fragility which is his downfall.
Off the pitch, Bailly needs to work on his mind as much, if not more, than his footballing ability.
The mind of a 21-year-old is a delicate place, especially the mind of a figure in the public domain and improving that is something that can only come through experience. As the young man grows in age, he will also develop in mind which will go a long way to realising his immense potential.
Despite this, his youth is a massive advantage as theoretically, he can only get better from here. Bonera is on a downward trend as his best years are behind him, but for Bailly, his best is yet to come.
Marcelino will know this and that means he will be more patient with the Ivorian than he perhaps would be with someone aged in their mid-to-late 20s. The coach has already shown commitment to the young man, having played him so consistently at the beginning of the season and may now be using this time to display to him what he needs out of a centre-back.
At this point in time, Bailly sits at the bottom of the pecking order. Mistakes can be forgiven as can lapses of judgement but with too many in his game at the moment, the manager cannot trust the 21-year-old to be in his starting XI.
While it may seem all doom and gloom for him at the moment, if he continues to improve both in body and mind, it may not be long before he is given another chance to prove himself at the highest level.
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