FanPost

The Indomitable Rise of Mehdi Benatia: An Introduction

Disclaimer: Yes, Mehdi Benatia is a Moroccan. And yes, I was born in Casablanca, Morocco. I don't deny that the Moroccan influence played a part in my initial interest in the player, after all I don't make a habit of following the career paths of every promising starlet from Ligue 2. However, the indomitable rise of Mehdi Benatia from an interesting prospect to perhaps the best Central Defender in world football right now, should not be cheapened by the fact his biggest fan on this blog happens to share some common heritage with him. Every bit of hype and excitement around him, he has earned through his own hard work.

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So in the last few days, rumours of an impending deal to bring A.S. Roma defender Mehdi Benatia to the Premier League have exploded, with Chelsea and Man Utd both heavily linked. Compared to other high profile potential targets like Raphaël Varane, relatively little is known about the Wall from Morocco. As people begin to realise that getting the European Champions to part ways with the most high-profile young defender in world football is as likely as getting the Queen of England to perform "Rapper's Delight" at Glastonbury dressed as a dinosaur while riding a unicorn on roller-skates, while Sam Allardyce beat-boxes in the background... many have wanted to know a bit more about our more realistic defensive target

And so here is my effort to satisfy you. Instead of overloading you with a bunch of stats that can be twisted to fit whatever narrative one's trying to push, I'm gonna make this a fairly easy read, more of an introduction to the player rather than a complete scouting profile. If you want a lot of stats, check this out. (Quick summary: Benatia comes out on top in pretty much everything).

Enjoy.

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Lets play a game. Are you ready? Let's begin.


I want you to try and imagine a footballer. He is a Herculean figure, tall, well-built and devilishly good-looking, with Moorish eyes that could stop a train with one glance.

He's a Centre Back, a leader of men and plays his football in the Eternal City.

He's got the raw strength of Kurt Zouma, the aerial dominance of Gary Cahill, the leadership abilities of John Terry, the grace of Thiago Silva and the technical ability of Matts Hummels. And he's only just about to enter his prime.

Can you see him?

His name is Mehdi Benatia, and he could be coming to a League near you.

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Stand back. Benatia is playing now.

Background

Mehdi Amine El Moutaqui Benatia was born in Courcouronnes, France, to a Morrocan father and an Algerian mother. A physical specimen playing in the highly-rated Marseille Academy, with the technical proficiency common with players from North Africa, Benatia has always had the natural talent to make it at the very top. Chelsea and Mourinho were quick to recognise this back in 2005 when they tried to bring him to Stamford Bridge, only to be rebuffed by the player. In Benatia's own words:

"I did a test of three or four days in London. I lived with Didier Drogba and Claude Makelele," the Moroccan said.

"They were a great team but I did not feel ready to go. I was offered a three-year contract but I was fine at Marseille and the idea of moving abroad scared me."

The decision to turn down a multi-year contract at a club intent on becoming the biggest in Europe (and the money that comes with such an offer) in order to develop at his own pace, was a massive risk for the young player. After all, there are countless promising talents that never make it to the very top and there was no guarantee that a similar chance would ever come his way again.

Several disappointing loans later, Benatia's career seemed to be stalling when, now 21, he was signed as a free agent by Ligue 2 side Clermont. It seemed like his decision to turn down Chelsea, who were by now firmly entrenched as one of the biggest clubs in World Football, had been a mistake. Training under Jose Mourinho alongside John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, is a special kind of footballing education, even with little playing time. But Benatia was determined to take things at his own pace in his bid to realise his potential and become the world's premier centre back.

After emerging as a key player for Clermont, Benatia earned his first big move in 2010, to Italian side Udinese. During his 3 years there, his growth was rapid. From a Ligue 2 defender who had appeared to lose his way, Benatia's commanding and remarkably complete performances, cemented his place as one of the top centre backs in Serie A, and in 2013, 6th place A.S. Roma purchased the Moroccan for €13.5 million.

It was during this season at Roma where Benatia really entered his own league. His effect on the club has been simply incredible. A record-breaking season for Roma saw them keep 21 clean sheets in the league, as well as get 85 points, their highest tally ever. Benatia, though not officially the captain, quickly emerged as a leader, rallying the team as they qualified for the Champion's League for the first time since 2010. So great was his effect on the club that, when I visited the largest official A.S. Roma store in Rome, Italy this past summer, Benatia's signed jersey was framed and hung up in a special section alongside Roma legends like Totti and De Rossi. Nearly 8 years since he rejected Chelsea's initial offer, no longer a promising talent but a fully-fledged grown super star, Mehdi Benatia's decision to do it his way has finally been vindicated.

In many ways, Benatia is a lot like Chelsea's latest signing, Diego Costa, in the sense that both have only emerged as world class players after years of fighting it out through various loans before seizing their first big opportunity when they felt ready to take it. Both can be classed as late-bloomers, much like Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, and have had to fight for everything they've gotten. Now, at 27 years old, about to enter his prime, Mehdi Benatia has officially arrived. And he's ready to kick some ass.

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"Hate it or love it the underdog's on top, and I'm gon shine homie until my heart stop"

So, what makes Mehdi Benatia so special?

Strength AND Pace

Benatia comes in at 6 ft 3 inches tall and 190 lbs. His strength and build mean that he is virtually impossible to out-muscle and you can bet your house he wouldn't have let Hummels do THIS to him. However, more than just being a large, powerful guy, Benatia has that rare combination of strength AND pace which most players can only dream of. This means he is capable of playing in both a proactive, high-line system, or a deeper one, something only a handful of CBs can say. Mourinho has spoken about moving Chelsea towards a more proactive system in the near future to truly unleash the potential of Hazard, Oscar, etc and for this, Chelsea will need a faster, more dynamic CB than John Terry (who looked woeful when AVB tried to implement the system during his reign). Benatia's physical skills make him the perfect option for this system and for the Premier League.

Goal Threat

Benatia's size, coupled with a fantastic leap, mean he will always be a massive threat from set-pieces, and his 5 league goals last season are a testament to this. In fact, over his 4 seasons in Italy, Benatia has the second-highest amount of goals of any CB in the country. Considering the fact the man he's replacing in the long term is the Premier League's highest goal-scoring defender ever, this can only be seen as a massive bonus in his acquisition. However, his goals aren't all routine headers, he can also do things like this:

Notice how smoothly Benatia regains possession before seeing his opportunity to attack and taking it. Unlike David Luiz who would often float into the attack on a whim, Benatia has the control to pick his moments carefully, as well as the inspiration and confidence to take his opportunities.

Reading the Game

A major component of John Terry's rise to becoming one of the best CBs the Premier League has ever seen is his incredible reading of the game. Countless times have we seen JT occupy space intelligently, before cutting out an opponent's attack with an interception or a well-timed tackle. In fact, so good is the captain's reading of the game that we rarely see him running or backpeddling-He seems to always be in the right place at the right time to protect Chelsea's goal. Mehdi Benatia has the same sort of game. Last season, Benatia made more successful interceptions and tackles than any Chelsea player, the second highest in the league. His secondary assists figures are remarkable for a central defender as he is always looking to spark an attack after regaining possession (as seen in the goal above). As Kurt Zouma's struggles in preseason have shown, the ability to read the game-to know when to step out and make a tackle, to be able to judge a high ball into the box, to spark an attack when an opening emerges-is the hardest part of a centre back's job and it is here where Benatia really dominates. His exquisite vision, technical ability and footballing mind all play a part in his incredible performances these last few years.

Leadership

For the last 16 years, Chelsea have been blessed to have a truly special player guard our defence in John Terry. Carvalho, Boulahrouz, Alex, Luiz among others have all come and gone but JT remains. Captain. Leader. Legend, he has lead this club to the very pinnacle of European football. The difference between Chelsea's defence with JT and without him is stark. Therefore, the man who replaces him in the long term must have the same leadership abilities, the same calm composure and the courageousness to lead the team by example. This is where Benatia really stands alone as the perfect defensive signing for Chelsea. Though a quiet, humble figure off the pitch, on the pitch Benatia is a real Roman Gladiator. Barking orders to his teammates, puffing his chest out dominantly and excuding confidence are all trademarks of his game. The effect having a player like this has on a team cannot be underestimated. Last year, Roma were a very different side to the one that finished 7th and 6th respectively in the two seasons before Benatia's arrival. Confident, calm and in control, the effect of having a true general in the backline, which had been missing for a while, was clear as Roma cruised to a record points tally. (Arsenal have suffered from a lack of a true Tony Adams replacement, as seen by their hilarious annual capitulation and destruction at the hands of top sides. They would do very well to sign Benatia.. but shusshhh no one tell them!)

Now, barking orders and puffing out your chest are not enough to be considered a true leader: You have to be able to lead by example, to pick your team up when they are not doing well and drive them forward towards success. When Roma were struggling last year, it was usually Benatia who came up with a goal, a crucial tackle or a defence splitting pass. Talk to Roma fans in the piazzas of Roma (or just pop over to fellow SB Nation blog Chiesa di Totti) and you'll have fan after fan tell you how Benatia's performances last year were proper Romanista. He is a Gladiator in every sense of the word, and afterall, when you're playing in the city of the Coliseum, nothing less is expected of you. Whichever club signs Benatia next, I have no doubt he will be their captain oneday. The best defences are made up of a leader (JT) and a complimentary defender (like Carvalho, Gary Cahill, Luiz, etc). City have Kompany already. Therefore Mangala is perfect for them. We on the other hand do not have a JT, a Kompany, or a T.Silva ready to take the mantle from the great man himself. To compound this, we have lost a lot of leadership all over the pitch recently and will continue to lose more, with Drogba, Lampard, Cole, Cech, JT having all either left the club or are coming towards the end of their Chelsea careers. Re-signing Drogba alone is not enough to lead our young squad to victory, we need a Gladiator at the back if we want to reign supreme over all England and Europe.

Value

Recent reports have Benatia's cost at somewhere between £24-30 million. It seems Roma have acknowledged Benatia's desire to move to one of the world's elite clubs and, after a summer of denying that he would be sold, may in fact be willing to cash in. In a world where David Luiz went for a figure close to £50 million and Vermaelen, a guy who wasn't even able to get into the defence that conceded 6 at Stamford Bridge, 6 to Man City and 5 against Liverpool went for €18 million... anything less than £50 million for Benatia is an absolute bargain. From a Financial Fair Play point of view: If we were to sign him for the reported £28 million and offer him £80k a week wages, his FFP hit would be £9.76million a season. For perspective, Shaw's current FFP hit is £11.5 million. Benatia's age means we should be able to give him a contract extension within 2 seasons, further reducing his FFP hit to around £8.5 million a year.

So in other words, Mehdi Benatia is a complete CB about to enter his prime, who is currently available at fantastic value, and is capable of doing pretty much anything. Oh you don't believe me? Well why don't you go and take a look yourself!


Woah, he looks perfect! Surely he must have some weaknesses right?

Well it depends on what you mean by "weaknesses." If you're asking whether his game has limitations, weak points that clever opponents can target to get the better of him, then I'd be tempted to say no. While JT and Hummels struggle for pace and dynamism, Kompany makes many high profile mistakes and struggles with discipline, Ramos struggles with his temper and positioning and Luiz loses out in the concentration and aerial duals department, Mehdi Benatia is the COMPLETE Centre Back (no lukaku). This means he can function as both the progressive Ricardo Carvalho-esque presser, cutting out through balls and making interceptions before starting attacks, as well as the calmer of the two defenders, the one who sits and controls the defence, the JT-like general of the team. His size and brute strength, as well as his wonderful leap mean he is very difficult to beat in the air, and his dynamism mean that turning or out-smarting him is a non-starter. As an offensive weapon, he has the technical ability to both bring the ball out from defence to start attacks, as well as the vision to spot a long pass or through ball, David Luiz style. And like our very own JT, he can be counted on to get a decent amount of goals each year.

However, there are a few "issues" I've seen bandied around as potential red flags to his signing, which I will address here.

African Cup of Nations:

Mehdi, despite having been born in France, chose to play for his native country of Morocco. Which, considering how many talented North African players go the other way*, is a welcome change of pace. However, though it might be nice to see players better than Marouane Chamakh playing for Morocco, his choice does have consequences, namely that he could end up participating in the African Cup of Nations. The CAN comes around every 2 years and takes place during 3 weeks from the the end of January to mid February. Losing a key player for any stretch of time is not what you want from a new signing. However, this isn't nearly as big a problem as it may appear:

1) Morocco are not a good team: Long gone are the days when 'The Lions of the Atlas' used to dominate the region, their neighbourly rivals Algeria taking over the mantle from fellow North African side Egypt as the dominant team in Africa in recent years. Morocco couldn't even get out of the group stages in the last tournament, one that contained South Africa (Ranked 69th in the world), Cape Verde (74th) and Angola (75th). Morroco themselves are currently rated 81st (God that's depressing). This all means that Benatia is unlikely to ever miss more than 2-3 matches maximum every two seasons because of the tournament. And considering the depth we have, this should't be a problem.

2) Lack of other Africans: Chelsea don't have a single African player in the starting 11 and only 3 players in the entire squad (3rd choice striker, 4th choice central midfielder and 5th choice attacking midfielder). This is a long way from the days when Didier Drogba, Essien, Kalou, and more dominated the Premier League in Chelsea blue. And you don't even want one African starter?! Shame on you.

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Making Africa and Chelsea proud

*Benzema, Nasri, Khedira, Adil Rami, El-Sharawaay, Ben Arfa, Fellaini (lol) and umm.. Huh, I could have sworn there was another guy! Errrr.... Damn I just can't remember his name. Begins with a Z I think..umm... oh yh, Zinedine Frickin' Zidane!! (And that's just NORTH Africa)

Homegrown Status

Some have touted that Benatia's status as a non-homegrown player is a major stumbling block to us bringing him into the squad. This argument is usually made in conjunction with an argument that signing Madrid benchwarmer Raphäel Varane would be a better option as he will be considered u21 for the upcoming season. I shall dispel that quickly now. We can absorb another non-HG player. There are a few good options we can explore in order to create space:

a) Not registering Schwarzer (we don't need THREE non-HG goalkeepers in the squad)

b) Loaning out Marco Van Ginkel, who is currently behind Matic, Cesc, Ramires and Mikel in central midfield, and giving Ake, Chalobah, Baker, Loftus-Cheek etc the few minutes that a fifth choice midfielder would usually get.

c) Getting rid of Torres and replacing him with a homegrown backup (this may be difficult, though we do have the money to release him if we really wanted to)

d) Loaning out an attacking midfielder (perhaps Salah) and giving a homegrown player like Brown or the incredibly impressive Boga the fifth choice attacking midfielder role. We also have Cesc who's versatility means he can cover both central and attacking midfield, so we won't be light.

e) Selling Mikel and giving his 4th choice central midfielder role to Chalobah/Loftus-Cheek, etc

And besides, Varane is only going to be u21 for one more year. After this, he will require a non-HG spot just like Benatia. We shouldn't be making decisions on just one season, but for the entirety of the player's career.

Age

Some out there have stated that Benatia, at the ripe old age of 27, should be sent to the glue factory on the decline soon and therefore not worth the money. However, this ignores a few things:

1) CBs rely on reading the game, not on pace and as such do not decline as quickly as other players. They are for the most part facing in one direction all game, and as such do not have to be as dynamic as players playing further up the pitch. Unlike an attacking midfielder or striker, central defenders can afford to lose a touch of pace and some dynamism without losing their world class ability. Nesta and Cannavaro played at the highest level till they turned 36, Desailly 35, Tony Adams 35. Maldini was still playing into his 40s. And these players are not exceptions. John Terry is about to turn 34 and could have made a stake to be the best centre back in the world last year. One thing that they all had however was a masterful ability to read the game, which Benatia has. In the progressive system that Jose has spoken about implementing at Chelsea, CBs will need to be more dynamic, able to cover more ground themselves, and though Benatia playing till his 40s in such a system is unlikely, there is no reason he can't play for a good 7 years at the very top of his game.

2) Since when is 27 old for ANY player, let alone a CB? Chelsea have been blessed with a lot of the world's best young talent: Hazard, Oscar, Salah, Courtois, Azpilicueta and more. Some Chelsea fans seem to have forgotten that players over the age of 21/22 still exist and that players who turn 30 aren't suddenly shipped off to sit in a retirement home somewhere eating muesli, watching reruns of Countdown and discussing the "good old days." Didier Drogba, a striker, was only a year and a bit younger than Benatia when he joined us and he ended up playing for us for 8 years, winning the Champion's League with his final kick for the club at the age of 34. If anything, players only really begin to enter their prime around the age of 27. There is no reason to think Benatia will be any different, especially considering how complete his game is.

3) Chelsea have A LOT of young prospects all over the pitch, none more so than at Centre Back. Zouma, Omeruo, Kalas, Christensen...even Chalobah and Ake are possible options there. The one thing we do NOT need is another u21 CB. What Chelsea need now is a CB in John Terry's mould in his PRIME. As much improved as Cahill has been this year, he is not in the upper echelon. The fact he has only ever looked world class alongside a leader like John Terry is more than a tad concerning. To me, he is the perfect complementary defender to someone like T. Silva, Kompany, Benatia or John Terry-the Leaders. He gets caught out of position far too often to ever be the leader of the defence, and his skill-set is better suited to the more proactive game we've seen him play alongside Terry, rather than the covering one he was forced to play alongside Luiz in the past. Considering our prospects, especially Zouma, are all proactive defenders, adept at charging out and tackling opponents higher up the pitch, rather that relying on reading the game to snuff out attacks, Chelsea are in danger of not having a covering, leader-type defender without JT, to complement Cahill and the youth. We need balance: Balance between experience and youth. Balance between Carvalho-like, proactive defenders, and JT-like covering ones. The fact Benatia can do both is just another bonus.

The Clock is ticking

At the time of publishing, there are 14 days left till the summer transfer window of 2014 shuts. It is looking ever more likely that a truly special player will be moving on within this period. In the last 24 hours, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have emerged as the favourites. Will Chelsea renew their early interest in the player? Jose Mourinho has come out and publicly denied Chelsea's interest in adding ANY new defensive signings-which, as we've all seen many times in the past, usually means the transfer is imminent (MINDGAMED). Or will Man Utd's desperate position see them outbid Chelsea for the player? Or perhaps our continental rivals Bayern Munich or perhaps even Real Madrid will swoop in and steal the player from right under the Premier League's nose. Whoever signs Mehdi Benatia will be getting a player capable of dominating his position for years to come. This Chelsea fan is hoping he does it in Blue.

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I'll leave you with a collection of Benatia-inspired quotes and completely legitimate historical photos, dug up from the annals of history by none other than yours truly...

Quotes:

Walter White: "When I was struggling with the financial burden of cancer, Mehdi Benatia's eyes were the only thing that kept me going... Crystal meth? What crystal meth?!"

Eve: "I'd totally leave Adam for Mehdi, he's so dreamy"

Adam: "I'd totally leave Eve for Mehdi, he's so dreamy"

Wall-E: "Mehd-EEEEE!!! I LUUVVVV YOUUUUUU"

Raphaël Varane: "When I grow up, I want to be just like Mister Mehdi Benatia!" (Ah the beautiful naïvety of youth)

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When everyone was bringing the baby Jesus stuff like Frankincense and Myrrh for his nativity, Benatia saved the day by bringing him presents a baby would actually want. Teddy bear, a onesie, The Complete Collection of Steven Gerrard's Best Slips, Seasons 1-8, stuff like that.

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Contrary to popular belief, Neil Armstrong was not the first man on the moon. Mehdi Benatia was.

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Mehdi Benatia taught Ali how to be The Greatest

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Mehdi Benatia getting down with his favourite gal Marilyn Monroe. Oooooooh yeah baby!

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Stay Cool,

CB8

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any sort of approval process. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions held by the editors of this site.

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