The Benefits Of Losing Demba Ba

Conventional wisdom says it would be a major blow were Newcastle United to lose Demba Ba this summer.

I'll play devil's advocate for a minute.

Ba was superb from late September to early January last season, no doubt. But he's also a 27-year-old with a degenerative condition in his knee. And, despite what he's said publicly, he didn't do a very good job of hiding his annoyance with having to move out to the left to accommodate - and play second fiddle to - Papiss Cisse.

Then there's the fact that after scoring 16 goals in his first 20 appearances last season, he failed to find the back of the net in his last 14, a stretch in which he also only managed one assist.

Cisse's arrival and Hatem Ben Arfa's re-emergence forced Alan Pardew to reshuffle his lineup, and the 4-3-3 alignment he tended to favor helped spark the six-game late-season winning streak that put Newcastle into Champions League contention.

From an individual standpoint, Ba may not have been as effective playing on the left of a forward line with Cisse and Ben Arfa. But Newcastle as a team looked more potent in the attack - both when controlling possession and on the counter - out of the 4-3-3 than it had previously. And certainly more so than when Pardew swapped Ba and Cisse or played a standard 4-4-2 late in the season, moves that sure smelled like attempts to pacify an unhappy Ba.

Might Newcastle be better off with a forward who's happy to play in the center or on the left? Or one who might be more compatible with Cisse in a 4-4-2? (And I won't pretend to know if FC Twente's Luuk de Jong - reportedly the subject of a failed £8 million bid by Newcastle this week - is that player.)

Ba has the ability to fill both of those roles when he's not jaded. He was Newcastle's best player when deployed on the left at West Brom, even if he didn't get on the scoresheet. He showed on several occasions that he can effectively drop into the hole in a 4-4-2, which in theory would allow Cisse to prowl about at the top of the formation.

Let me be clear: Newcastle will be better off next season with Ba still on its roster. But if one of his many agents finds him an unworldly payday elsewhere, it's no reason for Newcastle fans to panic.

Comments

[Dave From Newcastle]

Would panic if there is anything to the L'Equipe report of HBA to Chelski or Arsenal in a move that makes 0 sense for everyone involved.
My biggest concen on Ba is the knee. I think we all kept waiting for the injury last season and it never came. I doubt we get as lucky moving forward especially with more games and more travel to be had. If Galatassaray or someone else wants to trigger a release clause or give 10 mil to NUFC and a payday to Ba, then I think its best for NUFC and for Ba to move on. He has certainly earned a larger payday that probably will not come in the Northeast.

[Magjoe]

I think BA will leave us, we wouldnt be looking at a 10mil + striker otherwise. Let him go, bring in Luuk de Jong and Jordan Rhodes.. that will do us up front with Cisse.

[MnToonArmy9]

For the record: I'd like Ba to stay, too.

I think Ba's drop in production was in some sense a function of tactics, no doubt, but if you watched him play (I saw most games of the Cisse-era) on TV, it was clear he wasn't as sharp on the ball as he had been earlier in the season. I wonder if his body was simply wearing down. Until the Cisse transfer, Demba had played a lot of minutes and had been the focal point of the attack (and all that entails).

Perhaps he wasn't physically prepared/ready for a full season like this but will be better prepared/ready this year given his chance to train and prepare.

Then again, even 2/3 of a great season from Demba was worth 100% of a season from a lot of other strikers.

[Jaeger]

i think overall we should keep him. i think the change of pace with african cup of nations killed his momentum and his confidence. we'll need depth with the extra matches and can play him in center during the cup matches or in an 'easier' matchup (like sunderland) ;)

just need to hit the reset button and start over again.

[Matt]

Funny you should mention that, Dave. I'll be posting about the HBA rumors later on this week. As far as Ba goes, I'm starting to think he'll stay at NUFC. He's had a hard time convincing club doctors to OK any move involving a reasonable amount of money.

Hope de Jong comes in as well. The Europa playoff round starts at the same time as the Premier League season, so there are two guaranteed Thursday/weekend swings to contend with. Qualify for the group stage and there are six more. Plus Ba and Cisse will be off to the ACN again in January. So there should be plenty of playing time for all three and Ben Arfa up front.

[Rob]

If we're going with 4-3-3, with Cisse as the central striker, then we ought to be able to land a player who's better, and more enthusiastic, than Ba in that wide position.

[usatoonarmy]

was it not Ba who was pining for additional firepower up front during the first half of the season? AP went out and even purchased a compatriot of Ba. we have given him what he wanted so I do hope he stays, with HBA, Ba, and Cisse attacking in a 4-3-3 it creates all kinds of disruptions to the opponent's backline. not to mention some entertaining futbol!