Mendy’s performances mean Davies has become a priority for Real Madrid
The Frenchman is struggling at Real Madrid, meaning the Bayern left-back has moved up the to-do list at the Bernabéu.
The loss to Villarreal was not the cause of one player: it was a chain of events starting from the front that ended with the defence looking particularly shaken: especially Ferland Mendy. The full-back gifted Villarreal’s opener and Ancelotti hooked him off after an hour, deciding to bring on Lucas Vázquez and switching Alaba out onto the left.
With the statistics in hand, Mendy’s game was quiet if not interesting: he completed 23/26 passes (88%), won 2/4 duels, recovered the ball 4 times and lost the ball another 4. But his stats sheet went out of the window after he gifted the ball to a Villarreal player in his own half which ended in Pino getting the 1-0 goal.
Ancelotti reacted to Mendy’s performance
Add to that the torrid time Chukwueze was giving him, who was very active all day and constantly threatened down Madrid’s left side, even more so when Los Blancos stepped up in search of the equaliser.
Ancelotti did not turn a blind eye to the performance, taking him off on the hour mark; the Italian did not want to name names after the match, and instead pointed a finger at the whole team, but the facts show that the defence did not know how to manage the high press that Villarreal went with and the change showed that Mendy was the culprit.
Mendy’s future was in doubt over summer
The French defender started the season with doubts circling overhead, knowing that his future at the 13-time European Champions was not 100% secure: after the signing of Rüdiger, the club decided they would listen to offers for Mendy and Ancelotti would move Alaba to a permanent role at left-back. However, Ancelotti values highly the defensive work-rate of the player and since the start of the season has used him many times in the starting XI, forcing there to be more rotation at centre-back to allow Rüdiger to play.
The potential sale of Mendy is complicated
No offers arrived for Mendy during the summer (something that was always seen as unlikely given his huge price tag when he arrived at Madrid: €48M), so the left-back stayed put and the squad now suffers from something of an asymmetry in his position: there is no direct substitute, only temporary cover. Rüdiger started there after Ancelotti decided to play him on the left in a bid to get him up to speed and used to playing across the backline, but the German’s preference is at centre-back.
Ancelotti’s other squad options for left-back
Nacho is an option for all 4 positions, but his main position is at centre-back and if he has no other option but to play at full-back, he is better on the right from where he can cross the ball easier. Alaba, as well as Rüdiger, prefers life at centre-back.
The World Cup opened up a surprise door for Camavinga at left-back, who transformed himself into a wide defender for France, even playing there in the final, and performing brilliantly.
Davies threatens Mendy’s position
Madrid, as they do, are already looking to the future and valuing options to reinforce their left-back hole. As reported before by AS, the chosen player is Alphonso Davies, the Canadian defender currently at Bayern Munich, whose contract finishes in 2025 and who Madrid will try to sign one year earlier.
Hopefully for Madrid, the player has not renewed his deal and the German club become forced to negotiate instead of allowing him to go on a free, just as happened with Toni Kroos back in 2014. Until then, Mendy remains in the club’s plans and those of Ancelotti too, but the door is not closed to allow a defensively stronger option to arrive.