Rio Ferdinand has urged Edouard Mendy to ‘eradicate the mistakes’ and rediscover his winning form after another shaky display for Chelsea.
Mendy should have done better to prevent West Ham’s opener on Saturday and was fortunate to be saved by VAR after the Hammers thought they had scored a late equaliser.
The Senegal goalkeeper was instrumental in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2021 but has not been at his best so far this campaign, with the Blues conceding nine goals in their first six matches.
Ferdinand, speaking on Vibe with Five, said: ‘I think the biggest thing for Chelsea from this game is Edouard Mendy is becoming far too involved in situations like this.
‘Against Leeds, he was at fault for the first goal. This one as well. There’s been other occasions where he’s made mistakes and hasn’t been punished.
‘They need to iron that out quick because he was brilliant last season, he was phenomenal.
‘He needs to eradicate those mistakes from his game. You don’t want to be in the news as a goalkeeper. The less you talk about them the better they’re doing. At the moment he’s also in the news.’
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel addressed Mendy’s form after the 2-1 victory over West Ham, saying ‘things are going against’ his No. 1.
‘I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing,’ Tuchel said. ‘In training, he is fantastic, and he is, in general, a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment.
‘Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn’t 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively.
‘He is just in this moment, and it feels like it’s not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, he is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him.’
Chelsea’s comeback victory over West Ham, inspired by goals from Ben Chilwell and Havertz, saw the Blues climb to sixth in the Premier League table.
