Senegal pair out to prove a point

It is 10 months since Chelsea flew Edouard Mendy straight from winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon to the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi.

And just six days after becoming an African champion with Senegal, Mendy became a world club champion with Chelsea, nine months after he had been crowned a European champion and later been named the best goalkeeper in the world by Fifa.

But now, in Doha, Mendy and his Senegal and Chelsea teammate Kalidou Koulibaly have a point to prove in the last 16 of the World Cup against England this morning.

Whereas Chelsea could not contemplate playing a final without Mendy a year ago, even against relatively comfortable opposition such as Palmeiras, the 30-year-old will not return from this World Cup to his club as an automatic starter.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, furious to be dropped for the Club World Cup final after producing an excellent display in the semifinal while Mendy was representing Senegal, will arrive back in Abu Dhabi today with the rest of Chelsea’s non-World Cup players for a warm weather training camp.

Given he is fully fit again and well rested, Kepa, who started all of Graham Potter’s first 10 games in charge as head coach before suffering an injury in the defeat to Brighton, will expect to restart the Premier League season on December 28 as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper.

The doubts over Mendy’s form have not solely focused around his club. He was at fault in Senegal’s Group A defeat to Holland, which prompted some calls for Seny Dieng, who plays for Queens Park Rangers, to replace him.

But Mendy has the support of Dieng, who said: “He was struggling with injury, so it’s hard. But I think he’s definitely back now. He’s an outstanding goalkeeper.”

When Mendy and central defender Koulibaly return to Chelsea will depend on whether Senegal can get past England and how far they progress at the World Cup, but both will face a battle to regain their places.

Along with Kepa, defenders Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Ben Chilwell will continue to recover in Abu Dhabi from injuries, while Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella have recharged their batteries after missing out on World Cup call-ups with England and Spain.

There is doubt over Mendy’s longterm future, with little progress made on a new contract, and Chelsea are understood to already be examining potential goalkeeper targets for next season.

Similarly, Koulibaly’s challenge may be greater than simply forcing his way back into the Chelsea side, with the club keen on signing Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, who has enhanced his reputation even further at the World Cup.

Koulibaly could not have timed his first international goal any better — his strike against Ecuador secured Senegal’s path into the last 16.

The 31-year-old also has one goal for Chelsea, a brilliant volley against Tottenham in his first appearance at Stamford Bridge, but Koulibaly has since found it difficult to acclimatise to the Premier League and English game.

He was sent off in his next match against Leeds and has collected five yellow cards since then.

There would be no better opponents for Mendy and Koulibaly to prove a point against than England. Senegal will believe they can.