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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Despite being out of action for virtually two seasons in a row with various injury problems, Benjamin Mendy has never found himself out of the spot-light. The maverick defender has kept his name front and centre of conversations, largely thanks to his comical activities on social media.
But now he could be set to make headlines on the pitch. The left-back made his return from injury in the Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, before featuring in the Premier League for the first time since the end of last season against Watford.
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Having signed from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for £52m in the summer of 2017, Mendy has hardly had the opportunity to show City why they splashed the cash to sign him. But with a busy period ahead, his return to fitness has come at the perfect time for Pep Guardiola.
On the chalkboard
In Mendy’s absence, the City boss has had to turn to Oleksandr Zinchenko to cover a gap at left-back. Whilst the Ukrainian has performed admirably in an unfamiliar role, he just doesn’t possess the physical attributes Mendy has. The Frenchman’s raw pace and athleticism allows him to cover the ground superbly, and his superb vision in the final third leads to loads of chances.
In his final campaign before his move to the Etihad, the 25-year-old picked up 11 assists from left-back in just 39 appearances. One of those set-ups came against City themselves when the two sides met in the last 16 of the Champions League. In that year, Mendy averaged 1.5 dribbles and 1 key pass per game in Ligue 1. In contrast, Zinchenko managed just 0.4 dribbles and o.9 key passes per game in the Premier League last season.
Such is the hype surrounding Mendy’s return, Guardiola himself out-lined exactly how the France international will transform his side’s attacking structure.
“He will be an incredibly important player for us. With him, we can attack more constantly and in a different way – he has a special quality that only he has in our team. With Oleks Zinchenko, we cannot attack wide or deep. His quality is completely different. With Mendy, we can do it so hopefully, he can be fit and healthy, and play.”
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Whilst the Citizens may be ruing the absence of Aymeric Laporte, they do have some significantly positive news on the injury front in Mendy’s comeback. He may not be a centre-forward or play-maker, but he has proven he can be just as important in terms of chance creation, and Guardiola clearly knows it too.
