Recent reports suggest Arsenal are closely monitoring Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza and are weighing up a potential move for the 20-year-old.
What do you think of when you say Spanish excellence? To me it’s someone who thrived within the tight spaces, can combine play well and has the cutting edge over an opponent on the ball. Well, that is an intro to Rodrigo Mendoza
Having played majority of his football in the second division of Spain in the last two seasons, the young midfielder has only close to 570 odd minutes in La Liga this season. A player still young and hungry for experience.
A player who can play in the mix of things in midfield; a central midfielder (CM), a little deeper as a (DM) and even advanced (AM). The zone of interest as now stands in his development as a Box to Box midfielder which put his strengths on a pedestrian.
Season Heatmap
Player Profile
Club: Elche
Age: 20
Position: CM/AM
Height: 6’0
Foot: Right Footed
Nationality: Spain
Value: €10M
Player Analysis – In/Out of Possession
A carry first profile in small to medium distance where his ball carrying shows his prowess on the ball, often carrying from the deeper ends of his box. Over longer distances he tends to look knackered with his technique which makes it easier to win the ball, not particularly sure as to why but can develop.
Carrying leads to dribbling and take ons completed, and there is his finest skill in possession. The articulated quick and nimble feet in getting past defensive double ups exhibit his decision making and vision of combining play and finding solutions.
He’s trademarked the “inside cut/ Cut-in dribble” which he uses to change directions while carrying the ball with his stronger right foot. He first uses his upper body to sell the movement which helps him to shift and then burst past with the same foot
The passing once in the final third is something that he can explore more but still very decent for his age. In particular, he tries to not only make use of overlaps but execute a final ball, reading runs to the centre/backpost with the correct weight of pass show his technical ability.
The best out of Mendoza comes when he’s receiving between the lines from the left half channels. He likes being dominant in the middle zones where he demonstrates his expertise of quick feet in creating separation, tight space dribbling and ball carrying. He has a huge potential as a box crasher.
On the defensive side of things, he has a big leap to take if he was to make a move to a bigger side that competes in Europe on a weekly basis. He’s certainly an engine when operating as a B2B, but the defensive nous isn’t as imposing as the offensive nous.
A role of someone in the defensive spaces needs, not only the intelligence in maneuvering attacks but also to physical imposition. Partnering up in a pivot he’s tidy with the recoveries and ground duels but the volume of them needs improvement.
Can look susceptible while defending counter attacks, leading him to commit fouls here and there. A little bit lacklustre in his approach where his spatial awareness is questionable while chasing the ball but shows the intent on the ball.
Areas to Improve
Weak foot usage is something you can pinpoint from the first watch. His trademarked inside cut is an example to his drastic shift in body language and reliance on his favourite right foot. Improving his receiving and passing with the left allows him to be more dynamic with the approach
The physical capacity isn’t great. Even at 6ft, he doesn’t tend to engage in lots of duels which are resulted in the poor numbers he produces, especially aerially. Lower physical capacity at this age will mean top clubs won’t sign his services, questioning how it would translate to the other leagues.
Credits: FBref
Similar Player(s)
We’ve all by now seen the Pedri video where he hails Mendoza do be a player similar to him when trained with the national side and additionally we’ve also seen the apt Tijani Reijnders comparisons. However, there’s another player there who does what Mendoza does at a level above – Javier Guerra.
Conclusion
Additionally, I feel Mendoza is yet to find his best position in terms of the developmental growth you’d want to explore with his attributes. It can be as a centre mid, defensive midfielder or even higher up as an attacking midfielder.