Why Benjamin Mendy Will be Vital for City this Season

Benjamin Mendy started his first season with Manchester City on fire. The Frenchman was one of the club’s best players in the league at the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign. He was unfortunate to pick up a long-term injury that sidelined him for most of the season.

He however, returned in time to feature for City in April and earn his Premier League winner’s medal. He played a small part in France’s World Cup run as Les Blues cruised to another world crown.

The former Marseille and Monaco defender has returned to City with a bang. Another winner’s medal in the Community Shield added to his collection for the year. That, despite playing little football in the last year. But he is far from being just lucky. He deserves every bit of what he is getting. His recent performance for the Sky Blues says it all.

The 24-year-old has become quite famous for his activities on social media. Twitter happens to be his favorite. But his output on the pitch is even better. Three assists already in two league matches and it seems after Kevin De Bruyne’s injury we’ve already found a new assist king.

Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko surprised everyone by excelling at left back last season. They did so well the team barely missed the Frenchman. But in a season where we are waiting to see how much the side can improve, he is showing things can be done much better.

The World Cup winner is adding another dimension to City’s game that makes one wonder if we could have done much better in the Champions League last term with him around. It is important to note that Manchester City’s first league loss last season occurred at Anfield after Delph got injured during the match.

It could be argued that a fit Mendy in that position would have made us stronger. His defensive contributions could have helped tighten the defence and prevent City from going down 4-1. Offensively, he would have also helped with assists to score and give Liverpool more defensive problems to worry about.

Marcus Radford exploited Trent Alexander-Arnold’s position to help Manchester United beat the Reds at Old Trafford. Mendy could have done the same for City. Same could have happened in the Champions League double header. City losing both legs was one of the biggest surprises of the season for me. It was also painful.

Although injury denied us the advantage that Mendy brings to the team last season, early signs show we will get our money’s worth for last year’s record transfer for a left back. So in a way, Mendy is like a new signing for the Citizens.

His work rate is awesome. Not only is he ready to join the attack, he is quick to return to his defensive duties. Remember it was his assist and defensive work for Monaco that helped the French club knock City out of the UCL two seasons ago. Good to know he is now one of our lethal weapons.

His attitude is also amazing. He provides a positive atmosphere in the team that helps keep his teammates fired up. His overall contribution to the team makes him an invaluable asset. His fitness will be vital to our Champions League aspirations.