Is Porto's Rayo Vallecano Loanee Abdoulaye Ba the Next Eliaquim Mangala?

Manchester City generated headlines buying Eliaquim Mangala for £32 million from Porto, so can prospective centre-back Abdoulaye Ba emulate Mangala?

Arriving at Porto dreaming of eminence, a flurry of bookings, defensive miscues and poor football IQ ensured Ba's consignment to ingloriousness.

If he could not play cleanly on loan in less pressurised situations, management projected that he would not cope sufficiently as a regular starter at Porto.  

When Ba returned to Porto last January, he competed with Diego Reyes not for a starting job, but to see which backup was more morose with a bit-part role. 

Ba is now entering his fourth loan and with Bruno Martins Indi tipped to be Porto's next defensive cash cow after Mangala, there is added incentive to succeed on loan at Rayo Vallecano.

Nation	Position	Age	Height	Weight
Senegal	CB	23	6'6"	174 lbs

Rayo manager Paco Jemez may have scouted Ba playing for Vitoria in a 1-0 UEFA Europa League defeat to Real Betis last October. 

Ba cleared the ball 11 times, intercepted five passes, made two tackles, blocked a shot and completed 90 percent of his passes while leading the game in attempted passes (71). 

Paco, one of the best young coaches in Europe, sees the silver lining to Ba.

A lean and lofty centre-back who ardently attacks the ball and has a forte for cutting off passes. 

Despite Rayo having the worst defensive record in La Liga last season, Alejandro Galvez was Rayo's rock at the back, making 83 tackles and intercepting 82 passes in 26 games. 

Galvez leaving for Werder Bremen means Ba needs to step up. 

"

Grande @alexgalvez14  pic.twitter.com/3SKxeaovO4

— Ruben Rochina Naixes (@rubenrochina23) September 5, 2014"

It will be a Herculean effort for Ba and the Rayo defenders to cover defensive breakdowns, wide-open shooters and swift counter-attacks, all consequences of Paco's "all-or-nothing approach," per Sid Lowe at The Guardian.

Starting as a left-sided centre-back in a 0-0 draw against La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Ba was solid registering four clearances and blocking a shot. 

Atleti centre-forwards Mario Mandzukic and Raul Jimenez did not bother Ba, who also acted as a passing outlet from the back, attempting the second most passes for Rayo (77).

Not committing an error leading to a goal conceded in such a big-game represented a sizeable step-forward for Ba.

The next game, a 2-2 draw against Deportivo de La Coruna, Ba slipped back into the nonchalant, walking liability and an accident-waiting-to-happen type of centre-back, which has curbed his progress in making it at Porto.

He left Rayo goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez in no man's land with an under-weighted back-pass, which led to Deportivo central midfielder Jose Rodriguez scoring. 

While grounded, Ba ridiculously moved his arm to deflect Deportivo central midfielder Haris Medunjanin's shot.

Here was the context of the game: 

• Rayo were leading Deportivo 2-1 in stoppage time.
• Referee Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez spots Ba's moment of idiocy and points to the spot. 
• Deportivo right attacking midfielder Isaac Cuenca converts the penalty to make it 2-2.

Marca gave Ba a 3/10, the worst rating of all starters. 

Credit: Marca.com

It was an error-riddled performance, something you would say about Mangala for parts of his Porto career.

Though, Mangala compensates a 3/10 performance with a string of 9/10 displays. 

Whereas, Ba has yet to show such dominance. 

But Ba has upside as a 23-year-old, his transfer stock is low, he is rangy and he is aggressive. 

These factors are why clubs in Europe's elite leagues have monitored Ba's progress:

• Liverpool, Nice and Rennes: August 29, 2013, per Nicolas Vilas at Eurosport (h/t Get French Football News).
• Southampton: August 28, 2013, per Simon Jones at the Daily Mail. 
• Aston Villa: October 31, 2012, per Ian Edwards at ESPN FC.
• Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and West Ham United: July 3, 2012, per Alex Varney at talkSPORT.

Ba may not have a long-term future at Porto, so he needs to take inspiration from Thiago Silva, whose failed spells at Porto and Dynamo Moscow were frustrating, traumatic and shaped his mental fortitude.

Look at Silva now. 

Ba playing for his top-flight future may lead him to show glimpses of Mangala-like superiority which could secure a contract at another noteworthy European club.

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

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