Benjamin Mendy returned to the Manchester City starting line up for the win over Dinamo Zagreb and turned in a stellar performance.
The Frenchman has received heavy criticism regarding his recent performances and Pep Guardiola overlooked the 25-year-old when selecting his starting eleven for the Manchester derby last weekend with Angelino being preferred.
The Frenchman’s performance in the Croatian capital, however, may force Guardiola to reconsider ahead of the weekend’s clash with Arsenal.
Should Mendy start at left-back versus Arsenal?
Yes
No
Well played Mendy you were sublime??
— eileen fullen (@FullenEileen) December 11, 2019
Superb tonight Mendy u was totally on fire ?
— dan mcfc harrod ???? (@danielharrod09) December 11, 2019
hope this was a turning point ?
— BoyzInBlue (@BernardoControl) December 12, 2019
Brilliant performance tonight Mendy ?
— Jenna McGregor Jackson (@Jennababes) December 11, 2019
Keep going lad, great performance tonight
— Neil_K (@NK_ESQ) December 11, 2019
Probably your best show for a bit. Brilliant fella! First time balls with pace over the top. Proper strength???
— Wills (@Wills93785713) December 11, 2019
What do we think?
Mendy has struggled with injuries since he arrived at the Etihad in July 2017 and as a result he has missed 87 games. That has no doubt had a negative impact on his form with the left-back struggling to find any sort of consistency and rhythm in his performances.
His performance in Zagreb earned him a performance rating of 8.1/10 on WhoScored.com and the City faithful will be hopeful the former Monaco defender can put his injury woes behind him and finally provide a consistent solution to a position that has been extremely problematic for Pep Guardiola.