Demba Ba has backed Edouard Mendy to rebound his earlier World Cup woes and impress in the knockout rounds.
Writing for The Athletic, Ba voiced his faith in the Chelsea goalkeeper to help Senegal in their quest for international glory.
Mendy had a rather mixed-bag of results and performances during the group stage in Qatar.
He endured a miserable night for Senegal’s opening match, where the 30-year-old virtually gifted Holland their two goals.
His displays drastically improved for the follow up fixtures against Qatar and Ecuador.
Mendy pulls out the stops at the World Cup
Chelsea’s £22m ‘keeper produced several incredible saves in the match with the World Cup hosts, including arguably one of the denials of the tournament so far.
Qatar could only stand in disbelief as Mendy managed to turn a bouncing strike round the post with a purely instinctive right hand.
Senegal will require similar shot-stopping abilities when they take on England in the round of 16 this Sunday.
Whilst Gareth Southgate’s are very much the favourites, Ba believed the presence of the Stamford Bridge goalie could be a vitally important factor in the final result.
“I feel good about Mendy. He faced some criticism after Senegal’s first game, but he seems to have regained his confidence,” said the former Chelsea striker.
“Trust me, it doesn’t matter who you are or how big you are or how many good games you’ve played, once you make a couple of mistakes, the light is on you. A player losing confidence is a killer. It’s the hardest thing to overcome in football.
“I’d compare a goalkeeper’s mindset to that of a striker, in that both of you can make or break a game. I was a forward and knew that if I missed or scored in the last minute, it was all on me.
“It’s the same for a goalkeeper. Mendy put in great performances in Senegal’s last two games. He should have the personality to show England and the world that he is still the Mendy that won the Champions League for Chelsea.”
Is Mendy in danger of a Chelsea exit?
It does feel like a lifetime ago since Mendy lifted the European trophy on the fabled night in Porto last May.
He has gone through serious patches of form since that victory over Manchester City.
His number one spot at Chelsea was even taken away from him earlier this season by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
An injury to Mendy allowed Kepa to take the gloves for a relatively short, but very productive stint.
Yet, according to reports, neither gloved guardian have done enough to impress Todd Boehly.
Boehly is apparently on the hunt for a new GK, with Graham Potter in support of this search.
However, their views might well change if Mendy can manage to keep England at bay and send Senegal to the quarter finals.
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