Real Madrid have arguably the best defensive fullback in European football, as Ferland Mendy has emerged as a key starter for Los Merengues since joining from Lyon in the 2019 summer transfer window. It’s fair to say that Mendy has been the best signing from the 2019 window.
That said, there are things Mendy can improve on. While he is an elite defensive fullback, the French international could do a better job of supporting Real in the attack, as fullbacks in Madrid are expected to help a lot offensively.
Here are three things for Mendy to improve on.
Getting the ball into dangerous areas
Ferland Mendy is an accurate passer when looking at the statistics. According to WhoScored.com, the 25-year-old has completed 89.2 percent of his passes this season in La Liga, which is a solid mark. Although eight players on Madrid are more accurate passers, Mendy actually leads all fullbacks in passing accuracy.
The issue is that a lot of those passes are safe, sideways passes in the final third. When we look at Mendy’s actual attacking contributions as a passer, we’re left wanting.
Per FBRef.com, Mendy is 11th among Real Madrid players in passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes. Lucas Vazquez, Alvaro Odriozola, Marcelo, and Dani Carvajal are all above Mendy and in the top seven among players on the team.
Mendy needs to do a better job of getting the ball into the box and helping the team. He still has zero assists this season.