Who should be the starting left-back for Real Madrid going forward? – Analysis | OneFootball

There is no doubt that Real Madrid have had a very poor start to the 2024-25 season, and several of their players have been playing well below their expected standards.

This is particularly true for the biggest name in the team, Kylian Mbappe, who joined the Merengues with very high expectations in the last summer transfer window. Similarly, his compatriot Aurelien Tchouameni has also been well below his level and has been facing a lot of criticism for his poor performances lately.

Another Frenchman who has been a weak link in this team is the left-back Ferland Mendy. Although he has never been very good going forward, the French defender had made a name for himself with his defensive skills in the last few seasons, and these skills were essential as Real Madrid won their last two UEFA Champions League and La Liga titles.

However, Mendy has lagged with his defensive performances as well this season, and owing to his poor form, Ancelotti decided to start Fran Garcia in the last game against Osasuna. The final result of this game proved this decision to be the correct one, especially when compared with the results of the previous two games against Barcelona and AC Milan.

Both Fran Garcia and Ferland Mendy have played 9 games this season, and a statistical comparison of their performances will provide an idea of which of these left-backs has a better case to be the main starter going forward.

According to statistics from Sofascore, as opposed to Mendy, who has been the main starter for Ancelotti for most part of the season and has accumulated 666 minutes on the pitch, Garcia has played only 426 minutes up to now.

Neither of the players has got any goal or assist at this point of the season, but Garcia’s attack-mindedness is clear from his 0.36 xA, 0.2 shots on goal every match, and one big chance missed. Mendy has zero shots, zero big chances missed, and an xA value of only 0.12.

Furthermore, Garcia is also the better crosser, with his 0.7 crosses every game and 50% crossing accuracy, while Mendy has no attempted crosses up to now. However, the Frenchman has a better rating when it comes to long balls, as he gives 1.8 long balls every game with 80% accuracy, as opposed to the Spaniard’s 0.8 long balls with 53.8% accuracy.

On the other hand, despite his struggles, Mendy once again emerges as the better defender than Garcia. The Frenchman makes 0.9 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, and 0.7 clearances every game, which are significantly higher than Garcia’s 0.3 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, and 0.6 clearances.

In regards to dribbling, both these players have different strengths. Garcia has a better successful dribbling rate of 40%, as opposed to Mendy’s 33.3%.

However, Mendy wins 2.3 ground duels on average, as opposed to Garcia’s 1.8. However, the Spaniard’s success rate of 61.5% in this regard is higher than Mendy’s 60%. Garcia also loses possession (4.1 times on average) less often than Mendy (5.2 times).

Thus, Ferland Mendy, despite his struggles still remains the better defender, while Garcia offers a lot more going forward. For now, Garcia has certainly made a case for more game time, and more time on the pitch will allow for a more accurate comparison of how these players perform for Real Madrid.