Ba Proves His Point

1996 vice presidential candidate (and ex-NFL quarterback) Jack Kemp once called soccer socialist. Yet it's a sport that revels in individual artistry, perhaps more than any other. Fans flock to YouTube to bask in the Gallic flair of Hatem Ben Arfa, or marvel at the physics-defying strikes of Papiss Cissé. With that duo in the limelight, perhaps it's not surprising that Demba Ba hasn't always gotten due credit for his own brilliance.

Over the summer, Ba was routinely thought of as the most expendable of Newcastle's three-man forward line. Given the lingering release clause in his contract, maybe it was a defense mechanism we employed, expecting to see Ba elsewhere come September. Or maybe, given Ba's late-season struggles, we'd simply forgotten how good he actually is.

That line of thinking even seemed to infect his own manager, Alan Pardew. Despite Cissé's extremely poor start to the season, it was Ba who found himself out of the starting lineup against Everton last Monday. After rescuing the club from what looked like a sure defeat, he then produced a stellar performance against Norwich on Sunday. With rumors about Ba's unhappiness swirling, Pardew complimented his character as well as his play: "not just his goal - in the dressing room, everything about him was top drawer." 

In fact, Ba has been every bit as good as he was during his best run last season, when his 16 goals carried Newcastle through a similarly uninspired spell. In March, my co-blogger Bob compared Ba to then-Arsenal sharpshooter Robin van Persie. Though van Persie "scores when he wants," at that time Ba had been even more efficient, leading the Premier League by scoring on 27% of his shots. So far this season, he's been similarly clinical: his four goals have come on 14 shots, a 29% chance conversion rate. 

The Norwich match highlighted exactly what Ba does well, and how his style brings the best out of his teammates. When he is on form, he seems to have a telepathic connection with Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye, turning their diagonal passes into effortless finishes. Even ignoring the run for Sunday's goal, Ba somehow picked up that Ben Arfa would follow his first-half nutmeg of Andrew Surman with a pass between Michael Turner's legs. It's not a breathtaking gift like Ben Arfa's, but subtly special nonetheless. On Twitter after the game, Ba commented that Ben Arfa and Cabaye "make football look easy." Either one could say the same about him.

Of course, no discussion of Ba can ignore his penchant for petulance. Unhappy at being an unused sub for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, he retweeted a fan's question: "Is your manager mad?" Then he was left on the bench in favor of Cissé against Everton, and displayed a similar sense of irritation.

Though his attitude may rub fans the wrong way at times, Ba's been upset for the right reasons, and responded in the right way. Too many former Newcastle players were content to pick up a healthy paycheck, whether or not they ever saw the field. Ba's frustration has come from not playing, and when given the opportunity, he showed Pardew - and all of us - exactly why he should. Point proved. 

Comments

[Munster Mag]

Excellent point and blog Matt. I too wondered in the summer why so many geordies were relaxed about him leaving. He made us in the first half of last season. A wonderful player with touch ( his touch to control Ben Arfa's pass against Norwish was a delight ) , power, pace and finishing skills. We HAVE to find a way to get Ba and Cisse working together on the pitch..

[Ryan]

Matt, I liked your analogy about to many players in the past just being happy to pick up a paycheck (like that asshat Michael Owen?). While I don't always agree with Ba being sulky, at least he shows he cares and wants to play. I will gladly put up with a whiny spell now and then from Ba because I know he will give 110% effort every time he steps on that pitch. And, even above that, he truly cares about pulling on those famous stripes. That goes further than anything with the Toon Army.