How Ferland Mendy has helped Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid defensively

Ferland Mendy has made a name for himself in Real Madrid's squad in the absence of Marcelo. Ferland Mendy joined the Los Blancos on June 1, 2019, for a transfer fee of €48 million. The Frenchman was bought by Real Madrid to play second fiddle to Marcelo. Real Madrid's Brazilian left-back recently picked up an injury which saw Zinedine Zidane opting for the 24-year-old. Ferland Mendy has been impressive in the number of games he has featured for Real Madrid (especially in the defence department). Marcelo is arguably one of the best-attacking full-backs in Europe, but the Brazilian lacks defensive skills. The inclusion of Mendy in the starting XI has profited Sergio Ramos the most.

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Stats that prove Ferland Mendy is essential in the defensive department

Sergio Ramos usually covered Marcelo's lane when the full-back was playing upfront. However, Ferland Mendy has made things easier for Ramos as he focuses more on defending than moving forward. There are stats to back Mendy's cause. In the 15 games played by Mendy, Real Madrid have just conceded seven goals. Los Blancos, with Ferland Mendy, have managed to win 9 out of those 15 games (Loss 1, Draws 5). On the other hand, the Los Blancos have managed to keep only 2 clean sheets when Marcelo played the entire 90 minutes for them. Real Madrid have just conceded one goal off Ferland Mendy's direct error. 

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Marcelo has an upper hand over Ferland Mendy in attacking

However, Ferland Mendy is not that influential when it comes to creating goals. The Frenchman has only one shot on target in the 1,223 minutes he has played for Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Marcelo had seven shots on target in the 826 minutes he has been on the pitch. The Brazilian has a total of 4 assists to his name in the entire season while Mendy is yet to provide one. Zinedine Zidane is known for his unique style of play and the 46-year-old manager does not have a constant formation. The Frenchman prefers to play an open style of football with an attacking mindset.

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Zinedine Zidane's new Real Madrid

Surprisingly, Real Madrid have performed exceptionally well in the defensive area this season. Los Blancos have the best defensive record (21 goals in 27 games) in Europe after PSG (15 goals in 26 games) and Atletico Madrid (19 goals in 27 games). Real Madrid are currently on the second spot of the LaLiga 2019-20 points table. They are only trailing behind Barcelona in terms of goal difference.

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