Benjamin Mendy Reveals Pep Guardiolas Demands of Manchester Citys First Team Squad

Benjamin Mendy has revealed that Pep Guardiola constantly demands his players to 'commit' to wanting the ball at all times.

Mendy joined City at the start of the 2017/18 season and, although the Citizens have been able to see glimpses of the Frenchman's undeniable talent, he has been struck with unfortunate injuries that have ended up restricting his playing time.

However, that hasn't prevented ​Mendy from being influenced by the methods of Guardiola and he discussed the messages the Spaniard constantly sends out to his ​City side. 

"​'Commit'," Mendy told ​Canal Football Club. "He says 'commit, commit, commit and accept the ball.' Commit, meaning go towards the player. When you're in front of a defender, then pass it."

Mendy has proven that he has the makings of a world-class full-back over the past few years and he went on to discuss how far he has developed since his time playing in Ligue 1 with Marseille and Monaco.

"Since my time at Marseille I have progressed enormously," he said. "And my spell at Monaco under [Leonardo] Jardim helped me too. I think I can say I'm not too far away.

"[The perfect defender is] defensive, attacking, technical, physically strong, and a good set of lungs to get up and down - that's so important for a left-back today.

The 24-four-year old also discussed the current ​Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa, who Guardiola often cites as one his biggest coaching inspirations.

"It's knowing how to play in several positions," Mendy said of Bielsa's influence. "I played as the last line of defence, as a left winger. I didn't understand how to play in those positions but I do now and that's really helped me."

"It was the way he worked. If he told you to put cones 10 metres apart and you put them 11 metres apart then you risk not being picked for the next game.

"They've [Guardiola and Bielsa] both got a huge respect for football,"

Source : 90min