Edouard Mendy | Chelsea player

[TheMagicFoolBus]

He’s continuing his clueless looking form. Would probably not have saved it but he didn’t even move.

What? A shinned effort that goes in off the post? He saved two 1v1s tonight and had no chance with either goal. Feel you're being incredibly harsh here. He's been middling for the past few fixtures and warrants criticism for them but tonight I don't think any blame should go to him. It's down to him that it wasn't 4 or 5 to Leicester.

 

[Chief123]

What? A shinned effort that goes in off the post? He saved two 1v1s tonight and had no chance with either goal. Feel you're being incredibly harsh here. He's been middling for the past few fixtures and warrants criticism for them but tonight I don't think any blame should go to him. It's down to him that it wasn't 4 or 5 to Leicester.

He still looked shaky mate. There was a situation where he came rushing out and nearly ended up in a mix up. He doesn’t appear to give the defence any confidence either.

 

[tomaldinho1]

He still looked shaky mate. There was a situation where he came rushing out and nearly ended up in a mix up. He doesn’t appear to give the defence any confidence either.

The ghost of Kepa lives on. Would have been about 5-0 with him in net.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

He still looked shaky mate. There was a situation where he came rushing out and nearly ended up in a mix up. He doesn’t appear to give the defence any confidence either.

Actually I thought Chilwell was at fault there - he positioned his body in such a way that he was preventing Mendy from hoofing the ball forward and it was never going to make it into the box to be picked up.

That said, I definitely agree he's come back down to earth a bit of late. Still, he's a far steadier presence than we've had of late and I think there are far far far bigger problems with our side than Mendy.

 

[Chief123]

Actually I thought Chilwell was at fault there - he positioned his body in such a way that he was preventing Mendy from hoofing the ball forward and it was never going to make it into the box to be picked up.

That said, I definitely agree he's come back down to earth a bit of late. Still, he's a far steadier presence than we've had of late and I think there are far far far bigger problems with our side than Mendy.

The biggest factor that Mendy is benefiting hugely from right now is how poor Kepa was. Anything Mendy does seems to be miles better just because of how bad Kepa is. But Mendy does not look like he’s good enough to be in any top team. He reminds me of Karius at Liverpool. Does ok most of the time and then will just have repetitive random errors which will be costly at key moments.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

The biggest factor that Mendy is benefiting hugely from right now is how poor Kepa was. Anything Mendy does seems to be miles better just because of how bad Kepa is. But Mendy does not look like he’s good enough to be in any top team. He reminds me of Karius at Liverpool. Does ok most of the time and then will just have repetitive random errors which will be costly at key moments.

I think that's a bit harsh on Mendy, as Karius was pretty clearly a below-average keeper who could never hope to put up a season as good as Mendy's was last year. Mendy was the 9th best shot stopper in all top 5 leagues last year and his team qualified for the CL, so it's not like they were being dominated week in week out which can distort goalkeeper stats.

I also don't think Mendy is particularly error-prone - off the top of my head this season he's made only 2 errors leading to goals, those being the hesitation in sweeping up vs Leeds leading to the Bamford goal and the sweeping error conceding a penalty vs Everton. He also kicked it straight to Lacazette but recovered and I'm sure he has a couple other giveaways, but I don't think he's making mistakes more often than other top keepers.

For sure you're correct that he's benefitting from the comparison to his predecessor, but I just would hesitate to say that he's not good enough to play at a top level especially given the endorsements from Cech and Lollichon. I could end up being wrong but again I'd reiterate that Chelsea have far bigger problems than their goalkeeper.

 

[Andersonson]

I think its a tad unfair to critizise him for tonights match. If anything he made some huge saves to actually keep Chelsea in the game.

He has an awful defence ahead of him and that does do him any favours. Its to early to make a real judgement really

 

[Chief123]

I think that's a bit harsh on Mendy, as Karius was pretty clearly a below-average keeper who could never hope to put up a season as good as Mendy's was last year. Mendy was the 9th best shot stopper in all top 5 leagues last year and his team qualified for the CL, so it's not like they were being dominated week in week out which can distort goalkeeper stats.

I also don't think Mendy is particularly error-prone - off the top of my head this season he's made only 2 errors leading to goals, those being the hesitation in sweeping up vs Leeds leading to the Bamford goal and the sweeping error conceding a penalty vs Everton. He also kicked it straight to Lacazette but recovered and I'm sure he has a couple other giveaways, but I don't think he's making mistakes more often than other top keepers.

For sure you're correct that he's benefitting from the comparison to his predecessor, but I just would hesitate to say that he's not good enough to play at a top level especially given the endorsements from Cech and Lollichon. I could end up being wrong but again I'd reiterate that Chelsea have far bigger problems than their goalkeeper.

He may have only made 2 errors which have led to goals but I can remember a number of incidents where his error or decision making was poor but didn’t lead to a goal. I always think top class keepers can only afford a mistake maybe once every 10-15 games. Mendy feels like he has at least one in him every game. The first few games he seemed to bring confidence to the defence. But now he even looks nervous himself and it is naturally going to have a knock on effect on the defence. Of course he has time to improve but the same was said about Kepa and with time he only got worse. The premier league is like no other and it is the most unforgiving to goal keepers who arrive here.

Also, I really struggle to accept the French league as a comparison of how good a player is. We saw with the likes of Memphis who looked absolutely finished in the premier league. Yet as soon as he arrived in France he was on fire pretty quickly. Totally different kettle of fish.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I think that's a bit harsh on Mendy, as Karius was pretty clearly a below-average keeper who could never hope to put up a season as good as Mendy's was last year. Mendy was the 9th best shot stopper in all top 5 leagues last year and his team qualified for the CL, so it's not like they were being dominated week in week out which can distort goalkeeper stats.

Just out of curiosity, did you watch many of his games last year?

 

[The Irish Connection]

First game I watched him in for Chelsea he flapped at two crosses, you could see he was another dodgy ke(e)epa

 

[eire-red]

Actually I thought Chilwell was at fault there - he positioned his body in such a way that he was preventing Mendy from hoofing the ball forward and it was never going to make it into the box to be picked up.

That said, I definitely agree he's come back down to earth a bit of late. Still, he's a far steadier presence than we've had of late and I think there are far far far bigger problems with our side than Mendy.

Yeah, when the ball is outside the box, as a defender you have to just deal with it. Chilwell was poor all game I thought, that indecisiveness summed up his performance.

It would be definitely harsh to criticize Mendy after that performance, he made a couple of really good saves to keep ye in the game.

 

[brzez]

I’m intrigued to ask you goalkeeper experts about your thinking regarding Albrightons offside goal. Would that shot go down as unsaveable, if that goal would’ve stood? Because, he takes a step forward that seemingly cripples him (slow reactions?) and then he goes down like a sack of potatoes.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Just out of curiosity, did you watch many of his games last year?

Probably about 6-7?

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

Never watched him in France or for the national team (that I recall) but he started off fine for Chelsea and has declined massively. Goalkeepers suddenly seem to turn into a clueless mess under Lampard’s management and lose the ability to make basic saves.* It’s really quite bizarre. Combine that with Chelseaitis, where previously top players get Space Jammed after a few months at Chelsea (Torres, Morata, Werner) and it seemes almost guaranteed that Donnarumma is nailed on to be a massive flop.

*

Kepa’s save percentage has never been great. In his two seasons in La Liga before joining Chelsea it was 68.3% and it dropped to 67.5% in his first Premier League season under Maurizio Sarri.


But while Chelsea were hoping for a bump in that percentage in Kepa’s second season, it actually plummeted. 54.5% is the worst in the history of the Premier League (to play 10+ games) – he’s 730th out of 730. Why such a drop? There’s a theory: the Lampard jinx.


Caballero wasn’t much better for Chelsea than Kepa. The Argentine’s save percentage was 56.3% last season, worse than every other Premier League No.1. It was his worst season by a distance. His percentage for the Blues before that was 71.4% while it was 72.6% at Man City and 74% in four seasons with Malaga.

Scott Carson too, was not immune to the Lampard hex – in fact, its origins can be traced to Derby County’s stopper. The then-32-year-old (I know, right? Is that it?) saw his average career save percentage of 71.5% drop to 66% under Lampard; it was 70% the season before.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

He may have only made 2 errors which have led to goals but I can remember a number of incidents where his error or decision making was poor but didn’t lead to a goal. I always think top class keepers can only afford a mistake maybe once every 10-15 games. Mendy feels like he has at least one in him every game. The first few games he seemed to bring confidence to the defence. But now he even looks nervous himself and it is naturally going to have a knock on effect on the defence. Of course he has time to improve but the same was said about Kepa and with time he only got worse. The premier league is like no other and it is the most unforgiving to goal keepers who arrive here.

Also, I really struggle to accept the French league as a comparison of how good a player is. We saw with the likes of Memphis who looked absolutely finished in the premier league. Yet as soon as he arrived in France he was on fire pretty quickly. Totally different kettle of fish.

Eh, I'd respectfully disagree about Mendy's error rate - I think 1 per game is over the top and unfair on him.

Re: Memphis, I'm not sure how that comparison holds water here - surely if the French league were easier for attackers it'd be harder for goalkeepers, no?

 

[Pep's Suit]

He seems like an ok keeper but nothing special and lacks personality.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Never watched him in France or for the national team (that I recall) but he started off fine for Chelsea and has declined massively. Goalkeepers suddenly seem to turn into a clueless mess under Lampard’s management and lose the ability to make basic saves.* It’s really quite bizarre. Combine that with Chelseaitis, where previously top players get Space Jammed after a few months at Chelsea (Torres, Morata, Werner) and it seemes almost guaranteed that Donnarumma is nailed on to be a massive flop.

Loads of players hit the ground running at their new clubs before descending to their usual level. When a player moves clubs they are often getting a big pay rise and are moving to a new city. It's a very exciting time for many. This can lead them to run on adrenaline in the initial period and producing their best form. I never get to hyped about initial strong performances because not uncommonly it proves to be a false dawn.

That and the PSxG data showing that Mendy faced the easiest shots on average of any keeper in the league in his initial period.

 

[Chief123]

Re: Memphis, I'm not sure how that comparison holds water here - surely if the French league were easier for attackers it'd be harder for goalkeepers, no?

That’s not really how football works. Strange logic. It means the quality of the league is lesser meaning goal keepers aren’t going to face as much of a challenge against lesser quality attackers.

 

[duffer]

He seems like an ok keeper but nothing special and lacks personality.

Sadly I agree with the personality part of that. I want to see him giving someone a bollocking.

 

[Bokito]

I am still surprised Chelsea went for him, and didn't go for Onana from Ajax. Onana is younger, has proven himself on a higher level (CL), has more talent and personality.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

That’s not really how football works. Strange logic. It means the quality of the league is lesser meaning goal keepers aren’t going to face as much of a challenge against lesser quality attackers.

But then surely those lesser quality attackers are getting better chances because they're facing poorer defenders, no? It's hard to say I suppose.

Perhaps we're just talking round in circles and we can agree to disagree. I take your point overall but it's not like Ligue 1 keepers were broadly overrepresented towards the top end of save percentage last year.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

I am still surprised Chelsea went for him, and didn't go for Onana from Ajax. Onana is younger, has proven himself on a higher level (CL), has more talent and personality.

Onana's metrics on crosses are poor to mediocre and reportedly that's a big part of why we went for Mendy instead. I was a huge Onana advocate as well but I can understand the logic.

 

[giorno]

Onana's metrics on crosses are poor to mediocre and reportedly that's a big part of why we went for Mendy instead. I was a huge Onana advocate as well but I can understand the logic.

I'm curious about those metrics, because Onana's were pretty damn fantastic in the CL in the past two seasons, both as a shot stopper and in stopping crosses. But no idea about the eredivisie

As for Mendy, he was good(nothing spectacular, rennes had a really good defence) last season and bang average(in fact, probably below average. A cool GSAA of 0, which makes him one of the worst shot-stoppers in the PL) this season

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

I'm curious about those metrics, because Onana's were pretty damn fantastic in the CL in the past two seasons, both as a shot stopper and in stopping crosses. But no idea about the eredivisie

As for Mendy, he was good(nothing spectacular, rennes had a really good defence) last season and bang average(in fact, probably below average. A cool GSAA of 0, which makes him one of the worst shot-stoppers in the PL) this season

I think the main thing is Mendy has historically come out for crosses ~4-5 more times per game than Onana. It's a bit of a fuzzy comparison because there's no advanced stats for the Eridivisie, but reportedly the priority was to find a goalkeeper who could command his area really well. Our CBs were under far too much pressure regularly last season.

By PSxG you're right he's at 0, but that's not one of the worst - it places him smack between De Gea and Ederson.

 

[giorno]

I think the main thing is Mendy has historically come out for crosses ~4-5 more times per game than Onana. It's a bit of a fuzzy comparison because there's no advanced stats for the Eridivisie, but reportedly the priority was to find a goalkeeper who could command his area really well. Our CBs were under far too much pressure regularly last season.

By PSxG you're right he's at 0, but that's not one of the worst - it places him smack between De Gea and Ederson.

I can only look at the CL numbers and Onana's 18/19 and 19/20 numbers stopping crosses were exceptional(13% and 14% of crosses faced). Granted, the CL is such a limited sample that it's hard to draw conclusions from it

Mendy is 20 out of 34 in GSAA and 14th out of 21 qualified on a per game basis

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

I can only look at the CL numbers and Onana's 18/19 and 19/20 numbers stopping crosses were exceptional(13% and 14% of crosses faced). Granted, the CL is such a limited sample that it's hard to draw conclusions from it

Mendy is 20 out of 34 in GSAA and 14th out of 21 qualified on a per game basis

Yeah, the percentage he's stopping is great, but eyeballing it it looks like he only came out for ~6 per game. In France Mendy was more in the 10-12 range.

 

[Chief123]

Another shaky moment by Bambi on ice. Bang average.

Chelsea fans will still argue he’s better than Kepa at least.

 

[Port Vale Devil]

Another shaky moment by Bambi on ice. Bang average.

Chelsea fans will still argue he’s better than Kepa at least.

Suppose you can be ‘Bang average’ and better than Kepa though

 

[duffer]

Chelsea fans will still argue he’s better than Kepa at least.

You don't agree?

 

[Chief123]

You don't agree?

Of course I agree. But it’s a poor argument to justify Mendy.

Mendy just doesn’t look good enough for a top keeper. I honestly don’t know what Chelsea fans see in him.

 

[mu4c_20le]

You don't agree?

Think he meant that the bar is low

 

[duffer]

I honestly don’t know what Chelsea fans see in him.

He's a significant improvement on Kepa, that's what Chelsea fans see in him.

 

[Chief123]

He's a significant improvement on Kepa, that's what Chelsea fans see in him.

But that’s my point. My milkman would be a significant improvement on Kepa. It doesn’t mean Mendy is a good choice.

 

[charlenefan]

What was that random Kepa start in the league all about?

 

[duffer]

What was that random Kepa start in the league all about?

A reward for a decent performance in the cup.

 

[charlenefan]

A reward for a decent performance in the cup.

And what was the reward for keeping a clean sheet in the league?

 

[duffer]

And what was the reward for keeping a clean sheet in the league?

A salary and the manager's increased trust for the future.

 

[Dancfc]

Another shaky moment by Bambi on ice. Bang average.

Chelsea fans will still argue he’s better than Kepa at least.

So much wrong with that (first line).

 

[Dancfc]

For someone who's supposedly not all that he don't half like keeping clean sheets!

 

[duffer]

His 56th clean sheet in 25 games I think.