Mendy may be the missing piece in Chelsea title jigsaw

THOMAS FRANK had it right after Chelsea somehow beat Brentford on Saturday night, when saying his team would have won that game nine times out of 10. The reason they didn’t? Edouard Mendy. I spent my playing days hammering goalkeepers and I’m breaking the habit of a lifetime here by wanting to focus on the excellence of a No 1. Mendy underlines the importance of a goalkeeper to a title-winning side. He is the final, missing piece that could get them over the line this season. Chelsea were hanging on and it is one of those games they would have drawn or lost in previous years. That Mendy save from Christian Norgaard at the end was unbelievable, and there were a few more. But it is Mendy’s overall contribution that has given them an added calmness since he arrived from Rennes last year. His touch is spot on when dealing with horrendous back passes, he comes and takes crosses with authority. Look at all the teams to have lifted the league title and one common theme is trust in an exceptional goalkeeper. The signings of Alisson and Ederson altered the outlook for Liverpool and Manchester City, with both going on to finish top. Mendy is a major influence in Chelsea now finding themselves in the mix. There are other factors, of course. You have to be strong everywhere but the margins are so fine that the goalkeeper is often a deciding factor. You just have to look at Petr Cech in years gone by and I wonder how many points Peter and Kasper Schmeichel have won between them through their careers. Chelsea needed to get Kepa Arrizabalaga’s replacement right. Kepa did not work out at Stamford Bridge, it all felt a bit erratic. Mendy (left) has slotted in seamlessly — signed at 28, with experience and mistakes behind him, he is one of those goalkeepers who goes largely unnoticed most of the time. That is exactly the sort of steadiness you want. And when his moment in the spotlight came this weekend, he turned dropped points into three points.