Real Madrid: Why Ferland Mendy should be first-choice left back

Real Madrid have to pick up all three points against Galatasaray on Tuesday, and while both Ferland Mendy and Marcelo are in the official squad, the France international should be the one starting in this Champions League tilt.

Fullbacks are critical in Zinedine Zidane’s gameplan, but finding consistency at the position has been difficult this season. That’s because Ferland Mendy and Marcelo have been dealing with recent injuries at left back, while Real have been either resting Dani Carvajal for Alvaro Odriozola or getting uneven defensive performances from Carvajal against counterattacks.

Real Madrid have forced Casemiro to play massive minutes and cover an awful lot of ground this season, partially because of how aggressive their fullback play is. Carvajal and Marcelo love getting forward and are effective at doing so, looking to send in crosses to Karim Benzema. In particular, Carvajal has been effective, supplying three assists this season with most of his chances created going to Benzema.

But Real need to improve defensively more than they need crossing from their fullbacks. Firstly, because there are more effective ways for Real to build attacks. And secondly, because Real are getting caught on counterattacks far too frequently in 2019-2020.

By now, many of you have seen the jarring statistic that Thibaut Courtois has allowed more goals than saves, which is supposedly a damning statistic that proves Courtois is a fraud. Yet if you did the same bookkeeping for backup Alphonse Areola this season, you’d see a similar trend.

About 90-percent of the time, Real are impervious defensively due to Casemiro’s work in midfield and an elite center back duo. And yes, even Eder Militao starting with Sergio Ramos qualifies as an elite combination, given how well the FC Porto newcomer has fared this season.

However, when Real suffer a defensive breakdown, the results are catastrophic. They are prone to leaving their goalkeeper completely exposed on counterattacks, getting caught with either too few men in defense or with a fullback exploited. Either a center back can’t get in position quickly enough to cover for the fullback, or the fullback himself is roundly beaten.

Interestingly enough, one player who has never been caught out of position this season on the flanks is Ferland Mendy. He’s produced two sublime performances against Villarreal and Sevilla defensively, despite going up against two of the world’s biggest ascending talents on the wings in Samuel Chukwueze and Lucas Ocampos.

Mendy does not offer much offensively, but defensively he is already among the world-class left backs. The former Lyon man leads Real Madrid with 3.5 tackles per game, according to WhoScored.com, and is second to only Casemiro with two interceptions per game.

That’s quite the accomplishment for a 24-year-old left back in his first season playing for a club with Real’s profile. But Mendy has the tactical awareness, positioning, technique in the tackle, and physical tools to flourish.

Real have sorely missed Mendy whenever he’s been out with an injury. While Marcelo is still a quality player, he’s honestly declined as an attacker, as evidenced by his anonymous display against Mallorca. That would normally be a game that Marcelo dominates. So at this point in his career, the advantage the Brazilian has over Mendy as an attacker is not significant enough to warrant him starting.

Defensively, Marcelo isn’t exactly poor, but there’s a clear difference in class between him and Mendy in this regard. And judging by how poor Real have been on counters and how stretched Casemiro is to cover all areas of the pitch defensively, Los Blancos must prioritize the additional defensive cover that the disciplined and speedy Mendy is able to offer.

As Carvajal ages and gets slower, that necessitates Real making sure that at least one side of the formation is able to hold up against counters, thus allowing the defense to shift more towards the vulnerable side (in this case, Carvajal’s right side).

When Real are at their best, they have a strong defense with one of the world’s better back fours, but they can only really play to their potential with Mendy at left back. Just as Fede Valverde has the potential to add a great deal of might to the center midfield with his running and cover as a true box-to-box player, so, too, can Mendy offer an indispensable skill set with his tireless and astute defensive work on the left side.

Real Madrid’s margin for error has decreased to nearly zero due to a poor start to the Champions League campaign and Barcelona’s expected rise in form. No longer top of the table and in desperate need of three points at Galatasaray this Tuesday, Real have to realize how important it is for players like Mendy, who have a clear schematic benefit to the club, to be first-team regulars. Mendy can’t solve all of Real’s problems, but he can be a key X-Factor in helping the players around him be exposed less, especially against better – and quicker – attacking teams.