I think you’re spot on. I’ve said before that he doesn’t always create the right angles to receive the ball because he is so keen to take everything on his left, similar to as you’ve pointed out with his tackling. In the Man United game it looked like he had improved on this though.
From RDZ to Fab I think it’s becoming clearer that it’s a tactical/game intelligence issue that holds back Baleba being given a regular starting slot because he clearly has an immense physical profile and outrageous skill set.
I have wondered if this is possibly a language barrier thing or if...