Edouard Mendy | Chelsea player

[WeePat]

I could not see a thread for him, and though I don't necessarily think every player deserves their own thread outside of their general team threads, I thought having one for Mendy would be right considering how much of a mess the goalkeeping position had become.

It is safe to say that he started well - 4 straight clean sheets, 5 in 6 games at the moment. I do not think he has come in and done anything out of the ordinary, except a couple of shots in the United game, but it seems as though commanding the area well, snuffing out crosses and doing the basics right has had a huge impact so far.

 

[adexkola]

He doesn't have to do much. Just getting Kepa out of the goal was an accomplishment. (Where is he, nowadays?)

Mendy looks the part, although it is early days.

 

[Pow]

He doesn't have to do much. Just getting Kepa out of the goal was an accomplishment. (Where is he, nowadays?)

Mendy looks the part, although it is early days.

That much he doesnt have to do, was too much for kepa.

 

[roonster09]

His story is just inspiration to any young lad who are close to giving up football.

 

[Mount's Goatieson]

There were 3 clear cut issues most Chelsea fans identified with our defensive woes last season; Pace at LB, Leadership at CB and a Good goalkeeper. Lampard went out of his way to address each and every one of these issues with his signings and their impact has been evident.
Chilwell's game iisn't too dissimilar to Alonso. Decent defensively and great in attacking. Only one thing sets them apart and that's pace.
Lots of doubt were cast about Tiago Silva's signing but his leadership,experience and calmness at the back has been clearly beneficial to the rest of our defenders. Of course we'll have to find a younger version very soon but in the short term it was a no brainer.
And then there was Mendy, the ‘no-name’ 28yr old from the farmers league. What mostly oppo fans failed to see was that we really didn't need a world class, big name, 80-90m hot shot to massively improve on Kepa. Kepa is just a bad goalkeeper. We could have gotten 19 of the other first choice goalkeepers in the league last season instead of Mendy and they'll be massive improvements.
We are clearly not going to keep a cleensheet for the rest of the season, but Lampard deserves a lot of credit for the defensive signings he insisted on.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He seems very athletic, was amazed at the save he made from Rashford at the end of the match against us.

As somebody else said above he just seems to do the basics well, and has a calming presence which is pretty important as a keeper.

His passing doesn't seem the best but i'm sure that's something he can work on.

 

[adexkola]

That much he doesnt have to do, was too much for kepa.

Agreed

 

[Pow]

He seems very athletic, was amazed at the save he made from Rashford at the end of the match against us.

As somebody else said above he just seems to do the basics well, and has a calming presence which is pretty important as a keeper.

His passing doesn't seem the best but i'm sure that's something he can work on.

He seems really agile for one so tall. Him plucking balls out of the air with ease is such a welcome sight after 2 years of kepa flapping at them.

 

[Zaphod2319]

He doesn't have to do much. Just getting Kepa out of the goal was an accomplishment. (Where is he, nowadays?)

Mendy looks the part, although it is early days.

Lampard keeps listing him as getting over a shoulder issue. I think he is doing it to help him save face.

Mendy has been a really good find. I thought we should have gone after Onana, but Mendy has won me over.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He seems really agile for one so tall. Him plucking balls out of the air with ease is such a welcome sight after 2 years of kepa flapping at them.

Yeah he seems quite brave and proactive which helps a lot. As a defender knowing your keeper will come and claim anything close enough allows you to concentrate on stopping the forward. if you can stop them reaching the cross it's far more effective than actually trying to win the header more often than not.

Anyway as for most keepers it's how they react when something goes wrong, will be interesting to see how he bounces back when he does.

 

[Idxomer]

Looks good so far, him and Silva if he keeps it up fitness-wise will make a big difference to Chelsea this season.

 

[RashyForPM]

Senegalese spiderman. Will be a better signing than Werner and Havertz. Mark my words. Great goalkeeper. I’d be annoyed if we didn’t have two top ones as well.

 

[Dancfc]

I could not see a thread for him, and though I don't necessarily think every player deserves their own thread outside of their general team threads, I thought having one for Mendy would be right considering how much of a mess the goalkeeping position had become.

It is safe to say that he started well - 4 straight clean sheets, 5 in 6 games at the moment. I do not think he has come in and done anything out of the ordinary, except a couple of shots in the United game, but it seems as though commanding the area well, snuffing out crosses and doing the basics right has had a huge impact so far.

He's actually kept 5 in a row, he conceded on his debut.

 

[WeePat]

He doesn't have to do much. Just getting Kepa out of the goal was an accomplishment. (Where is he, nowadays?)

Mendy looks the part, although it is early days.

Yeah, this is true.

Some of us were saying something to that effect last season - that if we replaced Kepa with any average keeper from the league who could just do the basics, we would likely be better off, that's not to say Mendy is average, but I certainly didn't know anything about him before we signed him.

Silva's calming presence has had an equally important impact. When we signed Chilwell, Silva and Mendy for the defence, and I pictured how things would go, 5 straight clean sheets right out of the gate was probably a little bit beyond even my optimistic expectations.

 

[WeePat]

He's actually kept 5 in a row, he conceded on his debut.

Yeah, true - I don't know why I thought the Palace game was before the Spurs cup game.

 

[adexkola]

Yeah, this is true.

Some of us were saying something to that effect last season - that if we replaced Kepa with any average keeper from the league who could just do the basics, we would likely be better off, that's not to say Mendy is average, but I certainly didn't know anything about him before we signed him.

Silva's calming presence has had an equally important impact. When we signed Chilwell, Silva and Mendy for the defence, and I pictured how things would go, 5 straight clean sheets right out of the gate was probably a little bit beyond even my optimistic expectations.

How has Zouma been?

 

[Machine Elements]

Chelsea made a huge mistake with signing a keeper that was never worth the ridiculous money and no matter how it'd look bad on them they corrected their mistake. Fair play to them. I wish we could do the same with our "captain". Don't think it will happen with the current manager though.

 

[duffer]

He's quite quiet, that's my only criticism so far.

Love his personal story as well.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

How has Zouma been?

Still a bit of an adventure on the ball but generally very good defensively. Currently he's winning 92% of his aerial duels which is ludicrous and unsustainable (elite would be around 75-77%). He's really a perfect partner for Silva - their skillsets are very complementary (e.g. Zouma can make up for some of Silva's deficiencies in the air and in terms of pace, Silva is an elite ball progressor at CB & helps keep things organized, etc.)

Zouma also looks to be more of a threat in the opposition penalty area as well which is very encouraging. A big part of this I think is not having Willian take atrocious set pieces all game.

 

[WeePat]

How has Zouma been?

What @TheMagicFoolBus said essentially.

Silva's calming influence and organisation has drastically reduced a lot of shortcoming Zouma had, who in turn had been able to showcase his most prominent strength - athleticism, physical power, pace , he's even unlocked an eye for goal, already surpassing his previous career best seaaon tally.

 

[arthurka]

Still a bit of an adventure on the ball but generally very good defensively. Currently he's winning 92% of his aerial duels which is ludicrous and unsustainable (elite would be around 75-77%). He's really a perfect partner for Silva - their skillsets are very complementary (e.g. Zouma can make up for some of Silva's deficiencies in the air and in terms of pace, Silva is an elite ball progressor at CB & helps keep things organized, etc.)

Zouma also looks to be more of a threat in the opposition penalty area as well which is very encouraging. A big part of this I think is not having Willian take atrocious set pieces all game.

Did you watch Shaw yesterday? Willian has top notch set pieces compared to that..

But agree Chelsea look much better with the additions Frank added to the squad.

 

[archiebald]

What @TheMagicFoolBus said essentially.

Silva's calming influence and organisation has drastically reduced a lot of shortcoming Zouma had, who in turn had been able to showcase his most prominent strength - athleticism, physical power, pace , he's even unlocked an eye for goal, already surpassing his previous career best seaaon tally.

Wonder if a T Silva-like signing for us would have the same effect on someone like Bailly - an athletic but raw player who frequently loses his marbles.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Really thought he was excellent tonight despite conceding. Certainly his long passing can be a bit hit or miss at times but in just about every other aspect of goalkeeping I think he excels (although he does on occasion hit an absolutely delicious flat ball that, if he can control it, would be a huge weapon).

Also, not to make things too heavy or detract from the point of the thread, but for me this was a very interesting & thought-provoking article (related to Mendy):

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/sports/soccer/champions-league-black-goalkeepers.html

 

[awop]

Really thought he was excellent tonight despite conceding. Certainly his long passing can be a bit hit or miss at times but in just about every other aspect of goalkeeping I think he excels (although he does on occasion hit an absolutely delicious flat ball that, if he can control it, would be a huge weapon).

Also, not to make things too heavy or detract from the point of the thread, but for me this was a very interesting & thought-provoking article (related to Mendy):

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/sports/soccer/champions-league-black-goalkeepers.html

Interesting article, there's still a stigma about african keepers who could be seen as too eccentric to be trusted in that role, which is BS. Even for France they are quite rare since Lama with only Mandanda and Areola that i can remember.

 

[SirReginald]

He is a good old fashioned keeper. None of this shite about needing to be good with his feet - Cech wasn’t and I don’t remember van der Saar being that great either but both excelled where it mattered.

With Silva giving the defense better structure and organization and Mendys solid reflexes I’m more than pleased with the work Frank is doing. But credit must also go to the new coach from Wigan, Anthony Barry.

 

[SambaBoy]

He is a good old fashioned keeper. None of this shite about needing to be good with his feet - Cech wasn’t and I don’t remember van der Saar being that great either but both excelled where it mattered.

With Silva giving the defense better structure and organization and Mendys solid reflexes I’m more than pleased with the work Frank is doing. But credit must also go to the new coach from Wigan, Anthony Barry.

I get your point but VDS had excellent distribution.

 

[Lord SInister]

He is a good old fashioned keeper. None of this shite about needing to be good with his feet - Cech wasn’t and I don’t remember van der Saar being that great either but both excelled where it mattered.

With Silva giving the defense better structure and organization and Mendys solid reflexes I’m more than pleased with the work Frank is doing. But credit must also go to the new coach from Wigan, Anthony Barry.

VDS's USP during those times when keepers were quite shit with the feet, was that he was outstanding with the ball in his feet. Obviously he was a great keeper too, but most of the times when people picked him, his ability with the ball in his feet was always an highlight.
Although I get what you are trying to say, just that VDS isn't the right example.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

There were 3 clear cut issues most Chelsea fans identified with our defensive woes last season; Pace at LB, Leadership at CB and a Good goalkeeper. Lampard went out of his way to address each and every one of these issues with his signings and their impact has been evident.
Chilwell's game iisn't too dissimilar to Alonso. Decent defensively and great in attacking. Only one thing sets them apart and that's pace.
Lots of doubt were cast about Tiago Silva's signing but his leadership,experience and calmness at the back has been clearly beneficial to the rest of our defenders. Of course we'll have to find a younger version very soon but in the short term it was a no brainer.
And then there was Mendy, the ‘no-name’ 28yr old from the farmers league. What mostly oppo fans failed to see was that we really didn't need a world class, big name, 80-90m hot shot to massively improve on Kepa. Kepa is just a bad goalkeeper. We could have gotten 19 of the other first choice goalkeepers in the league last season instead of Mendy and they'll be massive improvements.
We are clearly not going to keep a cleensheet for the rest of the season, but Lampard deserves a lot of credit for the defensive signings he insisted on.

Lampard made those signings?

I thought it's mostly your DOF or whoever is in charge of signings/top management hierarchy at your club.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

His story is just inspiration to any young lad who are close to giving up football.

Love his personal story as well.

Indeed.

 

[Dancfc]

Really thought he was excellent tonight despite conceding. Certainly his long passing can be a bit hit or miss at times but in just about every other aspect of goalkeeping I think he excels (although he does on occasion hit an absolutely delicious flat ball that, if he can control it, would be a huge weapon).

I actually think he's underrated distribution wise, ok he's no Ederson but he's pinged some good balls out wide and to Tammy's head.

The thing I appreciate so much after Kepa is how he masters the basics, for example do you remember that shot by Lowe in the Sheffield United game that Mendy plucked out of the sky and gathered? Those are the shots that when in under Kepa and we were constantly told that we couldn't blame him because "they were unsavable".

 

[Skills]

VDS's USP during those times when keepers were quite shit with the feet, was that he was outstanding with the ball in his feet. Obviously he was a great keeper too, but most of the times when people picked him, his ability with the ball in his feet was always an highlight.
Although I get what you are trying to say, just that VDS isn't the right example.

I always thought his distribution was massively overrated. De Gea for instance was much better at it when he first joined the club, but we just coached it out of him.

 

[Welbeckham]

Let’s set this straight, VdS was always another level compared DDG with his distribution and the way he controlled a big area. That’s what made him so special, made all the players in front of him seem better.

Mendy seems a good signing for Chelsea, shades of Cech in his long arms and calm presence.

 

[duffer]

Lampard made those signings?

I thought it's mostly your DOF or whoever is in charge of signings/top management hierarchy at your club.

You're right.

Lampard signs off on the new signings and certainly there are some he pushed for (Chilwell, Ziyech after playing Ajax last season) but Mendy is a Petr Cech signing. Lampard, Cech and Mendy have all spoken about it.

Chelsea head coaches can't really be given all the blame or credit for transfers.

 

[JPRouve]

Interesting article, there's still a stigma about african keepers who could be seen as too eccentric to be trusted in that role, which is BS. Even for France they are quite rare since Lama with only Mandanda and Areola that i can remember.

I may have to point out that Mendy is french and that Maignan is the third goalkeeper for France.

 

[Dave Smith]

Mendy has looked good so far but it is too early to tell how good he actually is in my opinion. GK in my book is a bit of a funny position in that is requires a larger sample of games to correctly judge a player than the outfield players. Prime example of this is Kepa who a lot of Chelsea fans thought was fine (and even good) up until the first few months of last season.

 

[adexkola]

I may have to point out that Mendy is french and that Maignan is the third goalkeeper for France.

He's not Senegalese?

 

[JPRouve]

He's not Senegalese?

It's like Koulibaly, they are both born and bred in France but chose to play for Senegal. So it's a bit weird to only consider him african when he has been developed in France from day one and only left France this year, also Lama is from Guyane.

 

[adexkola]

It's like Koulibaly, they are both born and bred in France but chose to play for Senegal. So it's a bit weird to only consider him african when he has been developed in France from day one and only left France this year, also Lama is from Guyane.

Ah ok.

 

[kode]

It's like Koulibaly, they are both born and bred in France but chose to play for Senegal. So it's a bit weird to only consider him african when he has been developed in France from day one and only left France this year, also Lama is from Guyane.

both parents are senegalese he chose to play for his country so whats the issue?

 

[JPRouve]

both parents are senegalese he chose to play for his country so whats the issue?

There is no issue with the country he is representing, it just makes no sense to talk about how african goalkeepers are overlooked in Europe because perceived as too eccentric when you are talking about a french born and developed player. Also his father is from Guinea Bissau and Mendy was first called up by Guinea Bissau.