Dayot Upamecano’s Champions League nightmare led Marco van Basten to draw comparisons between the Bayern Munich defender and former Rangers ace Calvin Bassey.
As Van Basten points out, until Upamecano coughed up possession in the build up to Bernardo Silva’s smart headed finish with 70 minutes on the clock during last week’s first leg at the Etihad Stadium, the Frenchman had held his own.
That first mistake, however, preceded a series of blunders during 20 minutes more comical than Marge vs the Monorail. The drip rapidly became a pour.
Van Basten, the three-time Ballon D’Or winning Dutch legend, has seen this sort of performance before.
Dayot Upamecano likened to Calvin Bassey
“(Upamecano) played a very bad second half last week. The first half was fine. But, in the end, it went from bad to worse. That was very painful,” Van Basten tells Ziggo Sport; Man City setting up a semi-final meeting with Real Madrid.
“You shouldn’t fall through the ice like that at this level. And he really fell through the ice. That still happens, you can see that (elsewhere). That’s kind of what Bassey also does at Ajax at a certain point.
“(Once a mistake is made) then the total confidence is gone, and you would rather not have him. (Mistakes like these) get punished at the top level.”
Much has been made of Bassey’s struggles since leaving Rangers for Ajax last summer; a £20 million fee making the former Leicester City youngster the most expensive export in Ibrox history. Bassey has found the step up hard to take, his performances during the Champions League group stage – Ajax conceding 10 goals in two games against Napoli – certainly leaving a lot to be desired.
Not that Nigeria legend Taribo West is ready to write Bassey off just yet. Far from it. Another year in the renowned Ajax finishing school, West says, and he will be ready to graduate with a PHD in defending.
“He should play (attention) to the instruction of his coach. He should invest more dedication, discipline and hard work. I believe he has the quality to be one of the best in Europe, and in his generation,” West argues.
“I’ve seen him play a couple of times for Nigeria. I think he has great quality. With what I have seen in him, he needs a lot of dedication, discipline and hard work. The sky is his limit.”
