MENDY’S TWE ET STRIKE od if you can score like that
Pep tells Twitter star Ben: You must be go
IF Benjamin Mendy was as prolific in a Manchester City shirt as he is on social media then Pep Guardiola wouldn’t be looking for a new left-back.
No doubt the Frenchman will be on Twitter telling his 1.4million followers all about the goal that put Guardiola’s side on their way to a victory that takes them to within 11 points of reclaiming the title.
Mendy’s 58th-minute strike was a sweet moment at the King Power Stadium – and he will be hoping that in the coming weeks he can prove he can still give value for the £52million that Manchester City handed to Monaco almost four years ago. It was only his second goal in a City shirt. But it was a flash of the quality that prompted them to raid Monte Carlo in the first place.
Mendy’s time at the Etihad has been hit by plenty of injury problems – but even more issues with attitude.
He’s turned up at Super Bowls in America, broken covid rules by throwing parties – and was once late reporting for a physio appointment because he fancied a lie-in after watching an Anthony Joshua fight. Gabriel Jesus sealed the deal by celebrating his 24th birthday with the kind of goal that the soon-to-depart Sergio Aguero used to score with his eyes closed.
Guardiola said: “Mendy is Mendy. He is loved by everyone who knows him because he is a special person.
“We all know how he lives. But when a person is honest like him we can only love him so much.
“He must be really good if he can score a goal with his right foot like that!” City are now 17 points clear at the top – and reclaiming the title is now a formality. With a Champions League quarter-final coming up, Guardiola had a bench that included Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Joao Cancelo.
But with Kevin De Bruyne (right) in sparkling form and Fernandinho alongside him in a ruthless mood they still had too much for a Leicester side with ambitions of finishing in second place.
“Kevin is pretty good, eh?” said Guardiola. “Kevin is extraordinary with his passes, but now he has to score. I am sure that in the next game he will score.
“But it is also the way he runs to recover the ball that gives us our identity. You run like that to help your mates because i the next momen they do the same thing for you. Look at the way Fernandinho does that also. In the five years I have been here, it is one of the things I am proud of most.”
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‘‘ Kevin De Bruyne is extraordinary with his passes, but now he has to score. I’m sure he will in his next game
because Aguero had strayed offside, the visitors penned the Foxes in with a crushing press. The closest they came to breaking the deadlock before the break was when De Bruyne shivered the crossbar with a dipping free-kick from 25 yards. But Mendy made no mistake just before the hour. Marc Albrighton managed to clear the ball away from Jesus as the Brazilian attempted to meet Rodri’s cross with a far-post volley, only for Mendy to produce the touch of a natural striker. The Frenchman eased the ball inside Albrighton’s challenge and curled a shot past Kasper Schmeichel’s left hand with his unfavoured right foot.
No wonder his goal celebration threatened to turn into a lap of honour.
Jesus finished the contest 16 minutes from time when De Bruyne took out five Leicester defenders with a glorious pass.
The Brazilian swapped passes with Sterling and then poked home.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said: “If you gave me £500million to spend then I don’t think we’d be far away. Pep Guardiola is the best in the world, but he does have world class players.”