Mendy

[RumbleFox]

18 minutes ago, deanolegend1989 said:

I think it’s not just those games vs West Ham and Villa though, it’s just those the one that got noticed more because we lost and got outplayed. When we’ve got ahead we are good at being horrible to break down and he’s part of that, which I’ve given him credit for.

However, I think when we are behind, we will struggle hard to win games from behind because teams will sit deeper and we’d need more from our middle to control and he isn’t fit enough and fades badly 2nd half’s, not just the games we’ve lost.

I respect people’s opinions if you/they prefer Mendy over Ndidi when back fit, but for me Wilf walks straight back in.

Thats no disrespect to Papis, he’s done a fair job but more to the level I believe Wilf could get us too.
Mendy has been a decent cover for us and has saved us millions in stepping in to save us getting someone in, however Ndidi is a level above him and could arguably walk into nearly every team in the premier league.

Tielemens can be poor and looked to be struggling vs Wolves 2nd half as well as Mendy but he is a unique talent. He is a match winner and always will be.

I agree with you about Maguire though, he was big physical and everything you’d want in a CB from the outside view. Looking more into it though you see what he really is - a decent cb whose strong but has so many limitations, slow and out of position a lot. Forfana is streets ahead of him already and has a much higher ceiling.

With all due respect I disagree. I hate to be a bore and bring up things like facts but in terms of gaining points from losing positions we are third in the league (table below). To say Mendy has done “OK” is churlish in my eyes. There’s an argument to say he’s been our player of the season. That’s not to say he’s better than Wilf obviously but I just cannot agree with your assertions and can see little facts to back them up. X

[urban fox]

To think that we almost let him walk away on a free this summer. He has been possibly out POTS so far and will be attracting some envious glances from others to the point where his current value is probably in excess of £30m. If it was not for the fact that he agreed to an extension due to the season being interrupted he would have been off to France most likely. Credit to BR and Rudders in convincing him to sign a new contract.

[deanolegend1989]

13 minutes ago, Vardinio'sCat said:

 

Perhaps 'running down' was a bit unfair, I should of said 'not a big fan of' or some such. Papy has certainly played himself into fitness, like many of them this season.

 

We all look at different things when watching footy. Instead of admiring his strength, close control, anticipation, positioning, his (nearly) bullet-proof short game and understanding with his team mates, I'll pay extra attention to his work-rate towards the end of the game. I honestly haven't picked up him going missing or not tracking back, but I will look for it against Liverpool

 

I do think players go in and out of fashion every 5 minutes on FT, and pushing back at the yo-yo analysis on here is part of the fun.

 

I noticed his close control and his short passing is improving. His positioning is also very smart. I actually thought first half vs Wolves he was very good and that’s why I’m not trying to have a go at Papis, and more just saying Ndidi is just a different level.

 

As you say FT are very interchangeable and things can change over a few games. Vardys been finished about 5 times, people had wild opinions sometimes but it is what it is.

 

Your right, I’m not a huge fan on Mendy but I’m behind everyone who plays for us and It’s never personal against anyone. I just believe he’s a good player as Wilf is an elite player and we’ll push us to an even stronger level.

 

5 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

With all due respect I disagree. I hate to be a bore and bring up things like facts but in terms of gaining points from losing positions we are third in the league (table below). To say Mendy has done “OK” is churlish in my eyes. There’s an argument to say he’s been our player of the season. That’s not to say he’s better than Wilf obviously but I just cannot agree with your assertions and can see little facts to back them up. X

Yeah, it’s fine to disagree. I’m not suprised to see Mendy being touted as POTS as in another thread not long back on here , I saw who won our POTS since the 90s and there was an incredible amount of defensive midfielders and CBs over anything going forward, which suggests us as a fan base love a hard worker over the more attacking talent. I respect the opinions but disagree. POTS for me is Tielemens but closely followed by Forfana, Justin, Praet, Castange and Vardy, all of those have been better than Papis IMO.

 

About your stats about being behind, I’ve mentioned in our current defensive 5 at the back formation that it will be a weakness. Burnley we weren’t in that set up. As said before the Man City was a combination of there weak defence, the fact they arnt going to sit deep and ‘respect’ us and a gift of a pen from Walker.

The test will be when we go behind next and we’re forced to ‘open up’.

[Paninistickers]

2 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

Clearly Brendan and managers past have made a mistake in the past about not using him

Not M. Puel.

 

To my dismay at the time, he drafted Mendy back intobthe fold after his season at Nice. 

 

His performances were Excellent then and many of us were delighted to eat our words for that very decent half season (despite many holding it against Mendy himself for Puel's negative double pivot) 

 

Brendan came in, soon dropped him (to my own disappointment) and he was largely frozen out for last season. Which made Rodgers' decision to resign him all the more surprising. 

 

But, what a lovely player he is. I just love players that are prepared to receive the ball in tight spots and/or when marked. It's a skill worth its weight in gold

 

I'm pleased, at last, we are seeing why we recruited him in the first place

[Mickyblueeyes]

4 minutes ago, deanolegend1989 said:

I noticed his close control and his short passing is improving. His positioning is also very smart. I actually thought first half vs Wolves he was very good and that’s why I’m not trying to have a go at Papis, and more just saying Ndidi is just a different level.

 

As you say FT are very interchangeable and things can change over a few games. Vardys been finished about 5 times, people had wild opinions sometimes but it is what it is.

 

Your right, I’m not a huge fan on Mendy but I’m behind everyone who plays for us and It’s never personal against anyone. I just believe he’s a good player as Wilf is an elite player and we’ll push us to an even stronger level.

 

Yeah, it’s fine to disagree. I’m not suprised to see Mendy being touted as POTS as in another thread not long back on here , I saw who won our POTS since the 90s and there was an incredible amount of defensive midfielders and CBs over anything going forward, which suggests us as a fan base love a hard worker over the more attacking talent. I respect the opinions but disagree. POTS for me is Tielemens but closely followed by Forfana, Justin, Praet, Castange and Vardy, all of those have been better than Papis IMO.

 

About your stats about being behind, I’ve mentioned in our current defensive 5 at the back formation that it will be a weakness. Burnley we weren’t in that set up. As said before the Man City was a combination of there weak defence, the fact they arnt going to sit deep and ‘respect’ us and a gift of a pen from Walker.

The test will be when we go behind next and we’re forced to ‘open up’.

Deano do you not feel that our attacking play has been enhanced by his movement, availability for a pass and manoeuvre in tight spaces. Those skills have meant we turning teams over and getting it forward quicker albeit with a bit more of a defensive mindset. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ndidi and I don’t like comparing the two. I think Ndidi is one of the best in the business at what he does. However, Mendy hasn’t improved his industry this year. It’s more so his contribution to the other aspects of his game that has got him rave reviews. 

[RumbleFox]

7 minutes ago, deanolegend1989 said:

I noticed his close control and his short passing is improving. His positioning is also very smart. I actually thought first half vs Wolves he was very good and that’s why I’m not trying to have a go at Papis, and more just saying Ndidi is just a different level.

 

As you say FT are very interchangeable and things can change over a few games. Vardys been finished about 5 times, people had wild opinions sometimes but it is what it is.

 

Your right, I’m not a huge fan on Mendy but I’m behind everyone who plays for us and It’s never personal against anyone. I just believe he’s a good player as Wilf is an elite player and we’ll push us to an even stronger level.

 

Yeah, it’s fine to disagree. I’m not suprised to see Mendy being touted as POTS as in another thread not long back on here , I saw who won our POTS since the 90s and there was an incredible amount of defensive midfielders and CBs over anything going forward, which suggests us as a fan base love a hard worker over the more attacking talent. I respect the opinions but disagree. POTS for me is Tielemens but closely followed by Forfana, Justin, Praet, Castange and Vardy, all of those have been better than Papis IMO.

 

About your stats about being behind, I’ve mentioned in our current defensive 5 at the back formation that it will be a weakness. Burnley we weren’t in that set up. As said before the Man City was a combination of there weak defence, the fact they arnt going to sit deep and ‘respect’ us and a gift of a pen from Walker.

The test will be when we go behind next and we’re forced to ‘open up’.

I didn’t say he was our POTS just that it’s definitely a decent argument to say that he is. Och it’s good ton disagree, the world would be dull if we all thought the same thing. For me Wilf is world class and first choice but I think Mendy has been very, very good this season, certainly better than “OK”. 

[HighPeakFox]

24 minutes ago, deanolegend1989 said:

The test will be when we go behind next and we’re forced to ‘open up’.

That's absolutely true, but that problem existed with Ndidi in the team too. And don't get me wrong, I know Wilf is class. 

 

As for Mendy being unfit, he's just played a shedload of games at a very high level - I can forgive him tiring a little against Wolves as a result.

[urban fox]

1 minute ago, RumbleFox said:

I didn’t say he was our POTS just that it’s definitely a decent argument to say that he is. Och it’s good ton disagree, the world would be dull if we all thought the same thing. For me Wilf is world class and first choice but I think Mendy has been very, very good this season, certainly better than “OK”. 

I think both Papy and Wilf are excellent in the cdm role for different reasons. Ndidi is certainly one of the best ball winners around and a total beast, whereas Mendy has the ability to receive in a tight situation and retain possession taking pressure off and transitioning play in such an unhurried smooth way. It’s  a shame we can’t morph them into one player but It’s a pity though that neither of them have ever learnt to shoot.

i think we will see rotation when Ndidi is fit again with BR selecting which skill set he feels best fits particular games

[HighPeakFox]

I hope Papy scores one for us at some point - quiet scenes in my household if he does.

[deanolegend1989]

21 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Deano do you not feel that our attacking play has been enhanced by his movement, availability for a pass and manoeuvre in tight spaces. Those skills have meant we turning teams over and getting it forward quicker albeit with a bit more of a defensive mindset. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ndidi and I don’t like comparing the two. I think Ndidi is one of the best in the business at what he does. However, Mendy hasn’t improved his industry this year. It’s more so his contribution to the other aspects of his game that has got him rave reviews. 

Judging by our creativity and changes created I’d argue no. Not that I blame this on him 100% but to answer your question on our attacking play.

Think I saw something comparing our attacking creativity . We average over 9 chances per game in 19/20 which includes our terrible half season, over 8 a game in 18/19 even under Puel, yet this season we average only 5! A huge drop that’s very alarming despite incredible results and position in the table.

However it’s not sustainable and it’s not been flowing, and we’ve been very lucky with pens and situations that have allowed us to score first and sh*thouse teams, to our credit defensively we’ve been rock solid which has allowed us to not need to be good going forward, but again , that’s not sustainable.
The real test as I’ve said numerous times before will be when we concede first with 5 at the back and Mendy in DM.

 

19 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

I didn’t say he was our POTS just that it’s definitely a decent argument to say that he is. Och it’s good ton disagree, the world would be dull if we all thought the same thing. For me Wilf is world class and first choice but I think Mendy has been very, very good this season, certainly better than “OK”. 

Mendy has been decent(better than ok) but I agree Wilf is first choice and I’m excited how good we can be with him and Ricardo back.

Him, Ricardo, Forfana and YT on the same pitch makes me extremely excited.

 

5 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

That's absolutely true, but that problem existed with Ndidi in the team too. And don't get me wrong, I know Wilf is class. 

 

As for Mendy being unfit, he's just played a shedload of games at a very high level - I can forgive him tiring a little against Wolves as a result.

Very fair response there. I agree with Wilf it was an issue too and has been for a while, which kind of explains how we can smash teams but also be smashed by a West Ham.

I think with the signings of Castange and Forfana make us so much more stronger and athletic at the back, meaning with Wilf there also, we’d have enough to then have an extra guy forward to help our lack of attacking territory and chances created.

I agree though, Mendy has played a lot of games and he has been very good cover. Can’t criticise him, in fact I thought first half vs Wolves he was fantastic.

[harpendenfox]

Basically, when we have a diminutive Frenchman at defensive centre midfield we always win the league.

[Claridge]

Much rather have him in the team than wilf, wilfs football ability is awful apart from tackling. If we want to be top 6, your centre mid needs a bit more ability than he has. Good back up though

[Mickyblueeyes]

15 minutes ago, Claridge said:

Much rather have him in the team than wilf, wilfs football ability is awful apart from tackling. If we want to be top 6, your centre mid needs a bit more ability than he has. Good back up though

Ndidi and awful don’t mix. The mans a beast of a footballer and would fit in at any team in the league. His ability to win the ball and keep it simple is world class. Everton at home is the first of many which springs to mind when you think of how his influence led to goals for us. 
 

 

[M0901]

22 minutes ago, Claridge said:

Much rather have him in the team than wilf, wilfs football ability is awful apart from tackling. If we want to be top 6, your centre mid needs a bit more ability than he has. Good back up though

Wilfs football ability is awful?! Seen it all now.

[Vardinio'sCat]

I think we have certainly missed Wilf's height, as well as his destructive skills. Depending on the game, those things could be key.

 

If we are 3 at the back it is less of an issue, but it would be tricky to constantly rotate the 2 players every other game. I expect Wilf to win his no1 status back, but he will have to be at his best to dislodge Papy in this form, and there is still a big role for the second string.

 

Good news for us is we have 2 quality options now, we were too dependant on Wilf before.

[Claridge]

1 hour ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Ndidi and awful don’t mix. The mans a beast of a footballer and would fit in at any team in the league. His ability to win the ball and keep it simple is world class. Everton at home is the first of many which springs to mind when you think of how his influence led to goals for us. 
 

 

His passing is awful for a top teams centre mid fielder. Tackling amazing though

[NaijaFox]

1 hour ago, Claridge said:

His passing is awful for a top teams centre mid fielder. Tackling amazing though

It’s not. If anything, that’s the area that he’s made the greatest strides under Brendan.
Last season he completed over 85% of his passes, while having the most touches on the team.

[Will1981]

1 hour ago, Claridge said:

His passing is awful for a top teams centre mid fielder. Tackling amazing though

his passing used to be awful but has improved dramatically since Rodgers came in and he rarely gives away the ball now.

[Mickyblueeyes]

1 hour ago, Claridge said:

His passing is awful for a top teams centre mid fielder. Tackling amazing though

Nah, this doesn’t even make sense after some of his performances last year. The Everton game was one where his intelligent passing got us back into it. Arsenal at home as well. I think you must be the only person who watched him more then once last year and thought that. Wilf is king - not having anyone associate the word awful with him.

[Mickyblueeyes]

3 hours ago, deanolegend1989 said:

Judging by our creativity and changes created I’d argue no. Not that I blame this on him 100% but to answer your question on our attacking play.

Think I saw something comparing our attacking creativity . We average over 9 chances per game in 19/20 which includes our terrible half season, over 8 a game in 18/19 even under Puel, yet this season we average only 5! A huge drop that’s very alarming despite incredible results and position in the table.

However it’s not sustainable and it’s not been flowing, and we’ve been very lucky with pens and situations that have allowed us to score first and sh*thouse teams, to our credit defensively we’ve been rock solid which has allowed us to not need to be good going forward, but again , that’s not sustainable.
The real test as I’ve said numerous times before will be when we concede first with 5 at the back and Mendy in DM.

 

 

The style we have played for most of this season has meant we’ve been quite conservative in our approach. That probably contributes. I actually get your point. In our 4-1-4-1 formation, Wilfs ability to win it and give it is more powerful. However, the plan B that a lot of us have been calling for has been evident this season. Mendy’s role in that being effective (not just effective but allowing us to goal hungry) should not be downplayed. The man has gone from being surplus to now having a major role in what will be a fixture packed season. 
 

I’ll reiterate though, I hate comparing the two. I think they’re both great.

[filthyfox]

Am so glad that Mendy's mended 😃

 

Imagine if he had been able to play like this from the start, and Slim wasn't such a crap buy?

[StanSP]

Good game today I thought considering he's not started for a few games.

 

Got stuck in to some good tackles, winning the ball and stuck to his job well. Didn't really do much wrong.

[Poco]

1 minute ago, StanSP said:

Good game today I thought considering he's not started for a few games.

 

Got stuck in to some good tackles, winning the ball and stuck to his job well. Didn't really do much wrong.

Completely agree. He might not be the best CDM we have but I wouldn't swap him for many from other teams. Comes in, does his job when called upon; great to have in the squad.

[davieG]

7 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Good game today I thought considering he's not started for a few games.

 

Got stuck in to some good tackles, winning the ball and stuck to his job well. Didn't really do much wrong.

Was my MOTM 

[Tuna]

Played well today.