Except surprise, Thiago Mendes will still be established in central defense this Sunday (8:45 p.m.) against PSG, as for each of the first seven days of Ligue 1.
Clearly on the start a year earlier, the Brazilian midfielder has just come through in Lorient (3-1) and Monaco (2-1), in a position where he is in the process of learning.
His astonishing trajectory with Olympique Lyonnais, where he extended in June until 2025, is perhaps the ultimate symbol of the failing sports policy of the club, currently 5th in the league.
“Believe me guys, he is a very good player who is able to do his
job
very well in this central defender position, and who does not make mistakes like that in general.
According to his press conference on September 9, post-defeat in Lorient (3-1), Peter Bosz will blindly place Thiago Mendes behind in his starting lineup throughout this season.
There is little doubt that the 30-year-old Brazilian, a midfielder throughout his career until last February, will once again be alongside Castello Lukeba, this Sunday (8:45 p.m.), against the frightening Parisian attacking trio.
In addition to the cold sweats that this prospect causes in the short term for most Lyon supporters, this very questionable repositioning, and a priori engraved in the rock, is in a sense the ultimate symbol of a failing sports policy in the longer term in Olympique Lyonnais.
Because it is worth stopping on the course of Thiago Mendes since his arrival in Lyon in June 2019 (for 22 million euros + 4.5 M €), while his profile was praised both by Florian Maurice and by Juninho.
After two disappointing seasons (0 goals and 9 assists in 53 starts, all competitions combined), he was placed on the transfer list by his club during the summer of 2021. His departure to Flamengo, hoped for by both parties, failed, both on this transfer window and the following winter.
“It was a completely acceptable option”
Never convincing in the heart of the game, whether with Sylvinho, Rudi Garcia or Peter Bosz, the former Lille then ticks all the boxes of the player who must be separated as soon as possible: a big salary (estimated at 300,000 euros gross) , a sometimes glaring lack of fighting spirit, any role in the club's major adventure over these two seasons (66 minutes of play accumulated over the four clashes of C1 until the half of the Final 8), a tenacious reputation as a regular night outings, and a distance with the supporters which does not imply involvement in the famous "collective project".
And then everything changed to everyone's surprise last February, when Peter Bosz thought of him to compensate for the many setbacks of his central defense (Boateng dismissed, Diomande injured, Denayer in poor shape and Da Silva not at the level).
Solid matches in this unprecedented position against Nice (2-0) then during the two knockout stages of the Europa League against Porto (1-0; 1-1) then completely changed his status.
At the end of the contract in 2023, Thiago Mendes even signed an extension on June 17 until 2025 with the club.
All while inheriting at the end of last season most of the well-placed direct free kicks, again surprisingly to say the least.
OL football director Vincent Ponsot has just explained to
Progrès
on Thursday how this rebound took place at the club.
When we asked ourselves the question about Thiago, the coach gave his opinion and the decision is always collegial.
The coach, by supporting, estimated that Thiago could play in this position and we are also convinced.
He played nine games in this position last season.
I have in mind the two against Porto, where he was expected with a defense that plays high, with preventive marking.
He met the coach's criteria, so it was a completely acceptable option, especially since he is also versatile to play in 6. OK, there was Lorient and Monaco, but we stick to what the coach, he can be good at this position.
»
Already a lot of dumplings in 15 games in the axis
According to Vincent Ponsot, it was therefore a coach coming out of a difficult first season (8th in Ligue 1), without having managed to put in place his "offensive and attractive" game, who had the power to change the destiny of the Brazilian with its leaders.
And if the right arm of Jean-Michel Aulas refers to his dumpling which allowed the Lorient Ouattara-Moffi tandem to feast last week (3-1), after having already been at the origin of the first goal conceded, as well as t his very light marking in the wake in Monaco on the victorious header of the giant (1.94 m) Badiashile (2-1), the list of errors by Thiago Mendes is longer since his repositioning.
Heeling + Stung ball 🤯
🤩 Dango & @7erem_ pic.twitter.com/u71hO9q4NM
– FC LORIENT 🐟 (@FCLorient) September 8, 2022
Access to this content has been blocked to respect your choice of consent
By clicking on "
I ACCEPT
", you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners
I ACCEPT
And to better remunerate 20 Minutes, do not hesitate to accept all cookies, even for one day only, via our "I accept for today" button in the banner below.
More information on the Cookie Management Policy page.
We especially think of those that cost dearly last season: his involuntary decisive pass with the head for Lille Gudmundsson (0-1) on February 27, an improbable "leapfrog" on Anthony Lopes allowing Lensois Clauss to score in the empty goal (1-1) the previous week, and 45 disastrous minutes against Rennes (2-4) before being replaced at the break in March.
It still doesn't hurt for a player who has only started 15 times behind in a 4-man defense with Peter Bosz, doesn't it?
Great difficulties in aerial duels
"Thiago Mendes has shown that he has a predisposition to play in this position, in particular thanks to his technical ease in restarting cleanly," notes former OL defender Jean-Marc Chanelet.
But he is handicapped by his height [1.77 m] for aerial duels, and he is not very fast.
Even more than these two characteristics, it is obviously the inexperience of this 30-year-old midfielder which is sometimes fatal to the Lyon defense.
“An error obviously turns into a big blunder more quickly when you become a central defender, notes Jean-Marc Chanelet.
If Peter Bosz maintains his confidence in him, he will undoubtedly return it on the pitch, but at the cost of how many errors?
When we see his bad interpretation of the game situation in Lorient on the second goal,
we understand that he needs a learning period in order to take fewer risks.
»
In the obligation to find the Champions League at the end of the season, can OL (5th, 4 points from 3rd Lens) insist on such a bet?
And above all, should he not look during the transfer window for another solution than this troubleshooting which has become permanent, which results above all from the club's inability to transfer Jérôme Boateng and Damien Da Silva (under contract until 2023) this summer.
Having become a master in the art of tinkering in defense for 15 years, between the midfielders Bodmer, Toulalan and Gonalons, who are back in the middle for the more or less long term, or the attackers Bastos and Cornet suddenly converted to the position of left side, the 'OL shows in a brilliant way the limits of its sports policy.
This choice of Thiago Mendes has everything from a combination of circumstances, notes Jean-Marc Chanelet.
This team needed a dressing in defense and he was chosen to help out.
But when you extend the experience by making him a starter to attack the following season, you no longer need a small bandage but a solid plaster.
»
“I play in central defense and I am happy”
The string of big games against PSG and Lens could say a lot about the (un)solidity of the Lyon defense, in which the very young Castello Lukeba and Malo Gusto (19) have no real competitor either.
On August 26, Thiago Mendes assured him: “A year ago, I was announced to be leaving.
Certain periods were more difficult for me but I always tried to give the best of myself.
Today I play, I feel good, and I think it's a fair return.
I play in central defense and I'm happy.
I just want to play to help my team.”
Contacted by
20 Minutes
, his entourage did not wish to specify whether his enthusiasm was still relevant since the setbacks suffered in Lorient and Monaco, where he acted as the ideal Turkish head for Lyon supporters.
Nothing better to regain confidence, when you only have fifteen career games in central defense, than by wrestling with Mbappé, Neymar and Messi this Sunday, right?
Sport
OL: Peter Bosz still supports Thiago Mendes despite his sinking in central defense in Lorient
Sport
Mercato OL: Surprise, Lyon extends its "soldier" Thiago Mendes until 2025
Sport
Soccer
Olympique Lyonnais (OL)
Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG)
League 1
Lyons
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Mercato OL