Chelsea: Four lessons learned from tight draw with Sevilla

4. The Edouard Mendy effect is real

I want to compliment Edouard Mendy without take potshots at Kepa Arrizabalaga, but the difference is so blindingly obvious that it’s impossible to look at Mendy through any lens other than a Kepa-centric one.

Everyone has given their two cents about the shortcomings of Arrizabalaga. The general conclusion is pretty much agreed upon by now: he has no confidence, and he needs time out of the team to regroup. Somewhere along the way, his rattled mentality has bled out to the players around him, creating a whole mentally fragile backline. It’s so painfully clear, and yet Lampard had no choice but to give him another runout against Southampton when Mendy returned from international duty with a thigh injury. We know what happened next.

Fast forward to Tuesday, and suddenly Mendy was making a surprising start, having recovered from his injury more quickly than anyone predicted. Whether he was actually fully fit or Lampard simply couldn’t bear to put Arrizabalaga in the blender again is up for debate, but the result was obvious. Despite Chelsea being generally run ragged all over the pitch, Sevilla rarely troubled the Chelsea goal. And when they did, Mendy was calm, cool and collected.

The two important saves he made, along with a handful of claimed crosses and free kicks, had the exact opposite effect on the defenders around him than what a typical Arrizabalaga outing provides. There was minimal fuss, only a few moments of confusion, and no ghastly mistakes. It’s impossible to define numerically, but the pure presence of a competent goalkeeper like Mendy sharpens the players in front of him. Had it been Arrizabalaga tending the net, a 3- or 4-0 loss wouldn’t have been out of the question.

Perhaps it’s the francophone triumvirate of him, Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva. Perhaps it’s his confident catching and claiming balls in the air. Or perhaps it’s literally as simple as the fact that he’s not Kepa Arrizabalaga. Whatever it is, the mere presence of Mendy seems to inspire confidence in the defenders in front of him. It’s been a fair few years since that has truly been the case at Chelsea. In a match where the Blues were up against it right from the first whistle, some stoicism in goal was necessary when everything else on the pitch was a veritable dumpster fire.

As great as it’s been to have a fresh face between the sticks, it is important to keep the right perspective. Mendy will concede goals eventually, and he might have a howler or two in him as the season goes along. No one thought a relatively unknown guy from a midtable Ligue 1 side was going to be Chelsea’s Lev Yashin. But for now, it’s fair to sit back and enjoy the fact that Chelsea has an undisputed first choice goalkeeper. At least until Petr Cech gets his match fitness back.

What lessons did you learn from this match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!