Evaluating Real Madrid’s massive left-back problem

In Mendy’s defense

Ferland Mendy’s critics have found his lack of attacking output to let himself and the team down multiple times in the past. Only on those occasions, his defensive guard rarely let him down and the trade-off was one the team very much needed when Vinicius Jr started to become an integral part of the side.

Admittedly, Mendy’s performances over the past 18 months have dipped and his injury record has been a cause for concern as well. A soleus problem, a hamstring injury and other abductor issues kept him out for 14 league games last season, and he was able to start just 20 times in 38 gameweeks.

Yet, putting Mendy on the transfer list does not seem to be a realistic enough option as the club do not have much depth there and David Alaba already has a starting berth at centre-back. Another name in his role opens up the possibility of him being pushed out of his first choice status, which has shown to bring many Real Madrid players out of their comfort zones in the past. Another stylistically contrasting, younger and more exciting talent pushing the Frenchman for a spot might bring the best out of him though.

Moreover, it isn’t fair to cherry-pick one poor performance out of ten other poor performances from the defeat at Villarreal. Mendy isn’t usually as shaky as he seemed that day and in truth, the team as a whole let themselves down when it came to handling the Yellow Submarine’s intensity on and off the ball.

Sure, Mendy’s one-dimensional style of play makes him rather limited but he remains an asset to Real Madrid. In terms of 1v1 defending, he is usually exceptional, and his other protective qualities offer a lot as well, especially against the big teams.

Mendy’s absence from the French national team’s World Cup squad also comes down to more of the one-sidedness to his game, and his inability to play to the strengths of Les Bleus, who expect their full-backs to go up and down the flank while the centre-backs hold the structure in place.

Harsh truth

The harsh truth about Los Blancos’ full-back situation is that both Dani Carvajal and Mendy simply aren’t cut to sustain these kind of high-intensity games for an entire season anymore. In both cases, the club need to work closely with Carlo Ancelotti to find cover options that fall in line with the club’s idea of the ‘ideal Real Madrid full-back’.

That however does not have to mean replacing Mendy and Carvajal in the starting XI straightaway. Both the Spaniard and the Frenchman have deputized valiantly and should be able to continue to do so, given they have adequate competition that keeps them within their limitations, hides their flaws and brings the best out of them.