Benjamin Mendy - 2018/19 Performances

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I can see his pros. In games like huddersfield at home where the opposition neither has the quality to break effectively and decides to setup with 10 players behind the ball. His ability to overlap and put in decent crosses will be crucial where the team needs to get as many bodies in the box as possible. I can understand the use of him as a wing back on those occasions but otherwise with the way this city team plays where there's only one sitting player and two midfielders playing between the lines of the opposition defence and midfield, his weaknesses at the back and in turn the team is so easily exposed. The likes of marcelo at real madrid work going forward because they usually have their midfielders almost sitting in front of their defence therefore the likes of kroos, casemeiro are there to mop up any counters when marcelo bombs forward. Not to add marcelo is actually a really good defensive player positionally.

I keep hearing all this talk about his attacking threat and how that is important, the team scored a record number of goals last season with delph basically acting as another midfielder and rarely offered any attacking threat. The attacking were left to the quality wingers and midfielders the team had and they more than produced at that front. Delph may not have offered much attacking threat but what the team had as a response was an ability to stop counters quickly due to the positions the full backs took as well as sustain attacks meaning teams could barely string more than 5 passes when they had it. Having mendy as the full back that he currently is doesn't offer that.
 
I’d play him as a winger with Delph at left back, rotate him with Sane if need be, defensively I’d say he’s not that good maybe because he’s been asked to play so far up the pitch, as a crossed of the ball he’s the best in that position in the league.
 
don't pay him agasit the likes of Liverpool, chelski.....or any top European team if he is going to be part of a three. HE leaves us horribly exposed with half a pitch to run into for he opposing right winger/attacking player of the other team
 
I agree he had a poor game defensively on Saturday. In mitigation it seemed the whole defensive shape of the team was wrong and not able to react to losing the ball.

The passing in general was as bad as I can remember under Pep but it is still very early in the season following a world cup that is not surprising. At the end of the day we played poorly but still with a little break in fortune would have won comfortably.

Back to Mendy, if there is one club that can improve the defensive aspect it is City. Our defenders whole game involves around playing on the front foot and closing down and intercepting the ball before the other team can attack us. This is the part of the game he needs to improve on most and one of the reasons it is not Sane that is playing in front of him at present, he is the most likely one to lose possession the easiest and expose Mendy.
 
He's horrific defensively. Not sure I've ever seen a full back back off the way he has against Bellerin and Traore. So much so on Saturday that Laporte felt he had to come across and make the challenge. You can't back off all that way to the edge of the area or byline and still allow your opponent to get the cross or shot in. Delph will see plenty of action this season
 
So after one average game, some posters have already decided he’s not a defender and can’t defend haha

He’s been out for a year as well. Some posts on here are so reactionary and just plain dumb. He was fantastic in the previous 2 games ffs
 
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