Evaluating Real Madrid’s massive left-back problem
By Sahel Kazi
Real Madrid’s left-back situation is one of the hottest topics of debate amongst the fanbase right now. As is with most such cases, Madridistas have split opinions on the subject. The player in question: Ferland Mendy, once Zinedine Zidane’s highly-rated signing from Lyon, is now a target of major scrutiny after the club’s recent struggles.
The fans’ concerns regarding the situation have intensified, following Real Madrid’s recent defeat at the hands of Villarreal.
The question stands, are the criticisms on Mendy justified or is the Frenchman being scapegoated as part of a bigger defensive problem?
To truly find and understand the answer to that question, we’re going to have to do a little digging and essentially go over the expectations and the responsibilities on the shoulders of a Real Madrid left-back.
Relics of Real Madrid’s past
Just last season, Marcelo Vieira bowed out as a Champions League and La Liga winning captain at Real Madrid, which cemented his place in the club’s history as the player with the most amount of honours with 25 titles to his name.
The ending however, wasn’t a true reflection of Marcelo’s final seasons at the club. The truth being that the baton had already been passed and that the Brazilian left-back’s best was way behind him.
The club briefly tried the likes of Theo Hernandez and Sergio Reguilon at left-back but Zidane brought with him a statement of French solidity on his return to the club in 2019. And the signing of Mendy essentially embodied that.
Marcelo was a magician. The Brazilian fearlessly bossed the left flank and was a warrior, a creative genius who impressed the fans with his trickery and showmanship.
Before him, Roberto Carlos was an icon in the Royal White jersey, scoring many of his trademark long range screamers and free-kick goals across eleven highly successful seasons at the club. And in stark contrast to all of that, Mendy was anything but the sensationalized idea of a ‘Real Madrid full-back’ when he arrived. He was quick and technically adept but very evidently more focused on the defensive side of the game.
Unlike those before him, Mendy’s discipline was exemplary and he stood like a wall on the left side of the defence consistently. It was a signing that initially sowed doubts of insecurity but the Frenchman’s offensive shortcomings were overshadowed by the fact that Zidane’s team kept more clean sheets and as a result won more games with the left-back on the pitch than without.