Manchester City have reigned supreme yet again in the Premier League. After beating neighbours Manchester United by a comprehensive margin to win the title last time around, Pep Guardiola’s men have made a magnificent start to their campaign this year as well.
On the other hand, newly-promoted outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers have taken the Premier League by storm after winning the Championship last year. They have put up some top-notch performances to keep pace with the big guns and Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have won hearts with their fearless and attractive brand of football. Wolves are currently placed 7th in the standings with 15 points and they have a good chance of making it to the Europa League next season if they continue racking up the points.
While City and Wolves continue to impress in the Premier League, let us have a look at two of the most balanced players in the top flight – Benjamin Mendy and Matt Doherty.
Mendy has given the Cityzens the luxury of having a flying left-back in their ranks and the Frenchman has added another dimension to their attack with his aggressive approach to the game. The 24-year-old hasn’t been afraid to bomb forward with pace and has linked up effectively with the other attackers.
The centre-backs have complemented him by covering extra ground to the left. With Fernandinho’s ability to cut out the attacks from the midfield, Mendy has the freedom to drift to the central areas while making overlapping runs from the left.
To be honest, Mendy doesn’t look like a defender when he goes forward. His passing is as good as someone like Bernardo Silva and he backs himself to take on the opposition with his dribbling skills. The Frenchman is not only about raw pace and dribbling but also has the instincts of a winger and does not hesitate to play one-twos in the final third. To go with his pace, passing, dribbling and awareness, he is also a good crosser of the ball.
However, let us not forget that he is a great defender as well and has tremendous recovery pace to track back and make crucial tackles. He does leave open spaces at times but that is understandable, given that he makes significant contributions going forward.
Now, let us turn our attention to Wolverhampton’s Matt Doherty – one of the cornerstones of their success in the ongoing season. Unlike Mendy, Doherty does not have the pace or dribbling skills to rip apart the opposition and his style of play is not as exciting as the Frenchman’s.
However, the Irishman has been one of the most balanced players in the Premier League. As a defender, he is very tight with his marking and has a good positional sense to close down the attackers. He is also a good reader of the game, both in the air and on the ground. In fact, he is far superior to Mendy in terms of aerial prowess.
The Irishman does not bomb forward with pace like Mendy but he relies on his ability to hold the ball and link up the play down the right with short and quick passes. He uses his superior passing skills to set up attacks and has been effective while combining with Helder Costa down the right.
He is not an excellent crosser but he does overcome that by using his instincts and vision down the flanks. Doherty linked up well with Raul Jimenez and gave his team three valuable points with a tidy near-post finish against Crystal Palace.
To be honest, he has created numerous chances for the team with his tireless work on and off the ball. He is a work-horse and also has the ability to influence the proceedings with his impressive work rate. Furthermore, he is defined by high levels of composure and concentration, which is something Mendy lacks.
Let us take a look at the statistics of both players. While Mendy has averaged 65.4 passes per game with a pass success percentage of 84.7, Doherty is slightly behind those numbers, averaging 41.1 passes per game with a success percentage of 70.5.
However, that is understandable considering the quality of the teams. Mendy is a better crosser and long-passer than Doherty. The Frenchman averages 1 cross per game as compared to the Irishman’s 0.5 and 2.4 long balls to Doherty’s 1.3.
Mendy averages 1.4 key passes per game while Doherty is not far behind with 1.3 per game. Doherty has a goal and 2 assists while the Frenchman has amassed 4 assists so far. However, the Irishman edges out Mendy is terms of aerial prowess. Doherty has won a whopping 5.6 aerial duels per game while Mendy has averaged only 1 in that aspect.
There is not a lot to differentiate between the players in terms of defensive numbers. Mendy averages 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions while Doherty averages 1.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.
However, the Irishman has higher levels of composure and the opposition has found it difficult to find a way past him as evident from the following fact. Doherty has been dribbled past only 0.3 times a game but the opposition has gone past the Frenchman on at least 1 occasion per game.
Hence, it is quite clear that Mendy and Doherty have been two of the most balanced wing-backs in the Premier League and both are likely to play a key role throughout the season.
Stats: whoscored.com