"He needs to eradicate those mistakes from his game" - Rio Ferdinand sends message to Chelsea over 30-year-old's form this season

Manchester United legend and prominent pundit Rio Ferdinand has urged Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to get rid of the errors in his game.

Mendy has endured a rough start to the 2022-23 Premier League season. The 30-year-old was most notably at fault for the opening goal during Leeds United's 3-0 thrashing of the Blues last month.

He was once again in the news for his indecisive goalkeeping during their 2-1 win over West Ham United on September 3. The Chelsea custodian was deemed lucky after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled out the Hammers' late equalizer for what many viewed as a soft foul on Mendy.

While speaking about the match on his 'VIBE with Five' podcast, Ferdinand stated that the Senegalese shot-stopper's form will be a source of concern for the Blues. He said (as quoted by the Mirror):

“I think the biggest thing for Chelsea from this game [against West Ham] is Edouard Mendy is becoming far too involved in situations like this.”

Ferdinand went on to add:

“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.”

The former Manchester United defender concluded:

“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.”

Mendy played a key role in the Blues' run to the finals of the FA Cup and EFL Cup last season. He recorded a commendable 23 shutouts from 49 matches across all competitions while conceding 40 goals.

The goalkeeper has suffered a stark drop in form in the ongoing campaign, with just one clean sheet and nine goals conceded from six matches.

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Chelsea look to kick on after hard-fought win against West Ham

Chelsea rode their luck a little in their derby against West Ham at Stamford Bridge last weekend. However, there were plenty of positives for the Blues as well.

Wesley Fofana looked reasonably assured on his debut for the club while Kai Havertz finally broke his goal drought to score the winner. Ben Chilwell made a successful return from injury by scoring the opener from an acute angle before setting up Havertz.

Thomas Tuchel's side will now look to build on the momentum from that win in their next match. Chelsea will take on Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Maksimir in their first group-stage game of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, September 6.