Foxes of Leicester
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Leicester 2-1 Palace: What 3 things did FoL learn?

By Dominic Wells

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Leicester City tangles with Jordan Ayew and Nathaniel Clyne of Crystal Palace (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Leicester City tangles with Jordan Ayew and Nathaniel Clyne of Crystal Palace (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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Leicester City
Nampalys ‘Papy’ Mendy of Leicester City (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Correct recycling of possession, Nampalys Mendy style

In absence of Wilfred Ndidi, African Cup of Nations star, Nampalys Mendy, has returned to the Leicester City squad and is increasingly becoming an important part of it. Without registration for the UEFA Conference League, Mendy isn’t able to play against PSV Eindhoven this coming Thursday, but his place in the Premier League seems fixed for the time being.

A component of his style that goes unrecognised is the timing of his passes. He’s always touted as being a possession holder, fairly restrictive in his selections of passes, but reliable at maintaining the ball. This synopsis does describe his profile fairly well, minus the fact he is good at adding verticality for the Foxes. But, what he truly excels in, and is actually the main factor in enabling his profile altogether is his ability to attract a defender before passing the ball.

It’s very rare that Mendy offloads possession without carrying the ball towards the opposition goal. This can be micro-movements, carrying barely five yards, or it can be long bursts through the centre — two of which he provided in the opening half on Sunday. This “positive” movement in possession will always activate a defender to start pressing the carrier.