Rio Ferdinand has told Edouard Mendy that he must eradicate his mistakes in order to reclaim his title as a "phenomenal" goalkeeper. The 30-year-old has been central to much of Chelsea's success since arriving from Rennes two years ago but, in recent weeks, he has made errors which have helped fuel the Blues' turbulent form.
While the shot-stopper isn't entirely to blame for the west Londoners' shaky start to the new season, doubt has been cast over Mendy's position in the starting XI with Kepa Arrizabalaga armed and ready on the sidelines. The Senegal international has been placed under the spotlight lately following a string of errors.
To ensure that Mendy retains his crown as one of Europe's leading goalkeepers, Ferdinand has told him he must do everything he can to keep his name out of the limelight. Speaking on Vibe with Five, the former Manchester United defender claimed that goalkeeper's form is becoming a problem.
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"I think the biggest thing for Chelsea from this game is Edouard Mendy is becoming far too involved in situations like this," Ferdinand said. "Against Leeds, he was at fault for the first goal. This one as well [against West Ham, which was denied by VAR].
"There's been other occasions where he's made mistakes and hasn't been punished. They need to iron that out quick because he was brilliant last season, he was phenomenal.
"He needs to eradicate those mistakes from his game. You don't want to be in the news as a goalkeeper. The less you talk about them the better they’re doing. At the moment he's also in the news."
Following the 2-1 win over West ham, Thomas Tuchel defended his number one and insisted that he's just suffering from a rut of poor form. Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing.
"In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment. Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn't 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively.
"He is just in this moment, and it feels like it's not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, he is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him."
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