Player Focus: Could Mangala's Poor Form Force City into the Transfer Market?
After the opening five Premier League games of the season, many could have been forgiven for assuming Manchester City would run away as title winners. The Citizens were in rampant form, securing 15 points of a possible 15 and netting 11 goals without reply. However, midway through September, they failed to overcome the first obstacle they encountered. A 2-1 home defeat to West Ham was considered a mere blip, but the subsequent 4-1 trouncing at the hands of Tottenham had many second guessing their decision to install them as out-and-out favourites.
Of course, City have stuttered since the loss at Spurs. Inconsistency means they currently sit third in England’s top tier, though are just three points behind Arsenal in first. Nevertheless, the underwhelming form coincided with Vincent Kompany’s prolonged spell on the sidelines. Of the 21 league goals City have conceded this season, 20 have come when their Belgian captain has been unavailable.
With Kompany injured, Manuel Pellegrini has been unable to call on his most trusted centre-back and the club is feeling the full effects of his absence. As such, Pellegrini has looked to Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala and, as a result, City have looked far from solid at the back. Otamendi isn’t necessarily a poor centre-back, but without Kompany's leadership alongside him, the Argentine looks lost as he looks to cover for his teammates’ shortcomings, while also trying to settle in his new surroundings.
At 35, Demichelis’ best years are behind him and Pellegrini would rather only use the veteran sparingly. However, the same cannot be said of Mangala, whom City invested £32m into. Unfortunately for City, nearly 18 months on and the Frenchman still appears to have a calamitous mistake around the corner. There was a time, albeit only brief, when it looked like the penny had finally dropped for Mangala and City's pursuit of Otamendi seemed questionable.
A prime example of his wayward style came in last season’s Manchester Derby where City lost 4-2 at Old Trafford. Then-United striker Falcao had dropped deep to link up with the midfield, which saw Mangala charge forward towards the halfway line in a bid to win possession. Not only was this a reckless approach from the France international, but further highlighted his defensive deficiencies. A calm and collected centre-back would have instead relied on his midfield to counter the threat, with City caught short at the back as a result.
One would have expected Mangala to have ironed out his mistakes over the summer and while he showed signs of progression earlier in the season, his development has since regressed. While the centre-back’s share price with Buabook has increased this season, a buy price of £9.44 presents a significant risk. His share price could improve once Kompany returns, but Mangala’s poor defensive discipline means he is one to avoid.
An average of 1.6 fouls per game is more than any other centre-back in the Premier League this season and reinforces his statistically calculated WhoScored style of play of ‘commits fouls often’. This does little but heap further pressure upon the City goal and, as such, it’s no surprise the Citizens have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 competitive fixtures.
While no player has made more last man tackles than Mangala (2) in England’s top tier this term, more often than not this is due to the novice having to recover from a mess of his own making. This certainly highlights Mangala’s athleticism, with the defender boasting the necessary physical attributes to succeed in English football, but a lacklustre defensive mindset is what is holding him back from realising his full potential.
With Pep Guardiola on the market, this campaign appears increasingly likely to be Pellegrini's last at City. Given Kompany’s ongoing injury concerns and the underwhelming centre-back options available to the Chilean, he could well be keen to dip into the market this month in a bid to bow out with a second Premier League medal to his name.
That’s not to say Mangala cannot develop into a solid centre-back, but just that he evidently needs more time and coaching if he is to live up to the hefty fee City paid to secure his services from FC Porto 18 months ago. However, on current form, Mangala is a defender whose stock continues to fall. Having been hooked off at half time in City’s 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Everton on Wednesday night, his position in the starting XI could begin to come under threat, though options in reserve are thin on the ground for Pellegrini.
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