Why Eliaquim Mangala Will Come Good for Manchester City in 2015/16

Has a player ever embodied a club quite as perfectly as Eliaquim Mangala at Manchester City? The phrase “Typical City,” which became synonymous with the club in the 1980s and '90s, captures their ability to veer frantically from exhilarating brilliance to absolute tragedy with seemingly nothing in between.

City’s relegation from the top flight in 1996, when they inexplicably took the ball into the corner in the final moments of their 2-2 draw with Liverpool under the impression a point would keep them up, was one of the definitive Typical City moments.

But so, too, was the last-gasp playoff win over Gillingham in 1999 and the remarkable 3-2 victory over QPR in 2012 that sealed their first title win in 44 years, a moment now etched into Premier League history.

Mangala’s debut season at City has certainly had shades of Typical City about it.

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Take his recent display away at Tottenham. For 15 minutes, he was pulled all over the place and looked woefully short of the level needed to prosper in the Premier League. His positioning was questionable, his challenges rash and Tottenham looked as though they would take advantage of his inadequacies.

However, he gained composure and began to assert himself on the game. By the end, it was fair to say he had been one of City’s best performers and had played a significant role in their 1-0 win.

His debut against Chelsea back in September was remarkable—a display of power, pace and confidence that belied the short time he’d been at the club. He nullified Diego Costa, who came into the match well in-form and with a reputation for bullying defenders, restricting him to fleeting moments of impact.

But then came a shaky run of games that saw him dropped from the side. He looked nervous and vulnerable, not helped, in truth, by the form of those around him. Gael Clichy, who started the season badly, let him down on more than one occasion, as did Vincent Kompany, who has since lost his place in the side.

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He’s had a difficult start to his career in England. Manuel Pellegrini, the City manager, has spoken openly about it, citing his delayed introduction to the side after a protracted summer move as a reason for his poor start. However, he's consistently reaffirmed his belief that the Frenchman has what's needed to become a regular for City in the coming years. 

Before City’s home match with Crystal Palace in December, Pellegrini said: "Of course we have a lot of trust in Mangala. That's why we bought him.

"Maybe he has made some mistakes in the Premier League and maybe he has delayed a bit to be settled here.

"But we continue to trust in him because I am sure he is a very good player, he is a very young player and he will be a very important centre-back for our team."

What fills some observers with confidence about his future prospects are his natural attributes. He looks built to become a top-class defender. He possesses pace, power and incredible athleticism but perhaps, at the moment, lacks defensive nous and composure. Those are elements the coaching staff feel they can work on, though, and the more games he plays, the more comfortable he looks. 

The injury Kompany sustained in the defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the beginning of April saw Mangala given a run of games without the threat of losing his place, and he's responded. He came on at half time in the Manchester derby and has started the last five matches, looking more assured in each one, even if there have still been periods in games in which he been exposed. 

It's been patchy, and given the huge outlay to bring him to the club, City will be expecting a huge improvement next season. But the signs are there that he can become an excellent player. He's been culpable for goals and had moments of madness, but in there somewhere is a potentially solid defender. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.