Manchester United Fan View: Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo deserve a chance to forge a partnership

In the immediate aftermath of Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea it was both Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford that drew most of the plaudits. But while the above duo combined for the first goal it was the defensive combination of Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo that Jose Mourinho specifically wanted to praise.

“I think everyone did what they had to do,” Mourinho told Sky Sports, via the Mirror. “Everybody fought really hard. Bailly and Rojo, I think they deserve a special mention because they have played in absolutely every game, non-stop, since the injuries of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.”

It is fitting that Jose Mourinho mentioned Smalling and Jones in his above remarks, because Manchester United fans have been waiting a long time for the pair to step into the defensive void left by Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. But ever since being purchased in 2010 and 2011, respectively, their scant progress has instead been repeatedly hampered by injuries, loss of form, and the fact that they perennially seem on the cusp of a mistake. Rather than rising to the occasion, they’ve instead become synonymous with Post-Ferguson disappointments.

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While Chris Smalling fleetingly excelled under Louis Van Gaal, he was such a disaster in United’s 4-0 loss at Chelsea back in October that Jose Mourinho dropped him for over a month. This provided an opportunity for Phil Jones, but even though he formed the fruitful beginnings of a partnership with Marcos Rojo he was soon let down by injuries again. At that point patience had finally run thin, and most Manchester United fans will forgive Mourinho if he doesn’t find any more opportunities for the pair.

Especially since Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly have now formed such a formidable pairing in the duo’s prolonged absence. The clean-sheet against Chelsea was their third in four matches, while there’s a yin and yang to the pairing that suggests they have all the hallmarks of a bona-fide Manchester United centre-back pairing. Not only does this boil down to the rather simplistic, but nevertheless still refreshing fact that Marcos Rojo is left footed and Eric Bailly is predominantly right, but while they both approach their defensive duties with a cut-throat ruthlessness and tenacity Bailly is speedy, able to read the game, and loves to bring the ball out into midfield, while Rojo is aggressive and not against getting into a fight with an attacker. Just ask Diego Costa, whose poor run of recent form came off the back of Rojo making him look ordinary in the FA Cup Quarter Final, while the sequel on Sunday was even more harrowing for the Spaniard.

Squawka’s post-game stats underline these attributes, as Rojo has averaged nine defensive actions, which constitutes a block, interception, or clearance, per Premier League match this season, while Eric Bailly has an 89% pass accuracy in the campaign, too. Since Mourinho spent £30 million on Eric Bailly in the summer the Ivorian was always likely to become a firm part of his plans. Rojo on the other hand has taken Manchester United by surprise, and in many ways his aggression, thirst, and passion has made him the embodiment of Mourinho out on the pitch.

At the moment, Mourinho is still likely to splash the cash this summer on a new centre-back. But if Rojo and Bailly can continue to bring the best out of each other all the way through to the end of the season then they might just convince the manager that the right defensive combination is already right in front of him.