Despite his rough World Cup campaign, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy retains the full confidence of Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.
The Senegal coach has “blind faith” in Edouard Mendy, a tough goalkeeper
Mendy, who Cisse described as having a steely will and was expected to play for French team’s second Group A match against Qatar on Friday, was possibly at fault for both goals in his team’s opening 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. After their loss, the African champions now have some work to do if they want to get out of the group they were put in alongside Ecuador, who had an easy time defeating the hosts Qatar in their first game.
As Kepa Arrizabalaga has been chosen by new manager Graham Potter, it also extended a tough period for Mendy, who has frequently found himself on Chelsea’s bench this season.
However, Cisse is confidence in his goalkeeper’s mental toughness, therefore his position in the Senegal lineup remains unaffected.
Edouard is doing extremely well, Cisse told reporters on Thursday. “He has a steely will,” he said.
“Edouard’s qualities speak for themselves; I don’t believe anybody is questioning him. He occasionally has highs and lows, but he always has my complete and total faith, as well as the trust of his teammates. He will play on the field tomorrow.
Up until Frenkie de Jong’s cross was curved invitingly into the box in the 84th minute of the match against the Netherlands, it looked like the game would end in a tie. Cody Gakpo snuck in to take the ball home as Mendy rushed to collect but failed to even touch it.
Deep into stoppage time, Davy Klaassen was given a clear opportunity when the goalkeeper parried a rather soft ball into his path. Kalidou Koulibaly, a center defender for Senegal and a teammate of Mendy’s at Chelsea, claimed that people were overreacting to the goalkeeper’s performance.
We are making a big deal out of this, he remarked, adding that it is common to go through challenging times. “We both play for the same club and are Senegal brothers in arms. We consider Edouard to be a key player.
Senegal was the African champion in February after defeating Egypt on penalties; Friday’s opponents, Qatar, are the Asian champions, depriving Senegal of their top attacking talent due to Sadio Mane’s injury in the run-up to the tournament.
If Cisse’s team loses on Friday, they are unlikely to improve beyond their group stage elimination from four years ago.
Koulibaly remarked, “We’re up against it, but we’re Lions, the Lions of Teranga. “Whatever it takes, we’ll do to support the aspirations of the Senegalese people and keep the dream alive. We don’t want to let the people of Senegal down. Tomorrow’s behavior and mindset will undoubtedly resemble those of warriors.