It's time for Tuchel to bench Mendy and give Kepa another chance

In January 2022, Edouard Mendy was named the best goalkeeper in the world by FIFA for his contributions to Chelsea and Senegal.

But eight months down the line, the towering goalkeeper is almost unrecognisable from the person that won that award, Edouard Mendy now looks a shadow of himself.

The Senegalese International has looked shaky and less assured in the Chelsea goal since the second half of last season and has deteriorated further just six games into the current season.

Mendy has put up questionable displays in at least four of Chelsea’s six Premier League games so far which has seriously depleted the sense of security that he provides the team.

The 30-year-old made a costly error against Leeds United where he lost possession to Brenden Aaronson, gifting the attacker an easy goal.

His latest horror show against West Ham is another indication of Mendy’s decline and although the goalkeeper got bailed out by VAR this time, it was still a poor error.

Even in games where Mendy didn’t necessarily commit errors, he still conceded goals he would have prevented before 2022.

Pierre-Emille Hojberg’s long-range strike for Tottenham, getting beaten at his near post by Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes and even Romeo Lavia’s goal for Southampton could have been saved by Mendy’s high standard.

His decline is obvious and it may be too early to say if it is temporary or permanent but it is definitely high time for something to be done about it.

Edouard Mendy only got a shot at the Chelsea number one shirt because Kepa Arizabalaga was underperforming and the Senegalese goalkeeper grabbed the chance with both hands, establishing himself as the first choice and banishing Kepa to the bench permanently.

But now that Mendy is underperforming, it may be time for Thomas Tuchel to pull the old switcheroo out of the bag once again and give Kepa a chance to reclaim his spot.

Who knows, Kepa might also react positively and improve drastically from the last time we saw him but even if he doesn’t, the switch could have other advantages.

It would give Mendy some much-needed time off just in case fatigue is the reason he has been underperforming since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in February.

And if it isn’t fatigue, Mendy would be getting the message that he isn’t indispensable, no one is and perhaps that may be all that is needed to spur the Senegalese goalkeeper back into his best form again.

Chelsea’s next game is on Tuesday in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb after which they take on Fulham at the weekend in the Premier League.

These two games present Tuchel with the perfect opportunity to bench Mendy and play Kepa as they are high-profile yet low-risk matches.