ISl 2015: Why Chennaiyin FC's superstar John Stiven Mendoza is absolutely undroppable

With 10 goals and two assists in 12 matches, John Stiven Mendoza is a comfortable favourite for the Golden Boot at this year’s Indian Super League. After scoring six goals in as many matches, the Chennaiyin FC forward went goalless for three games and was subsequently dropped in the side’s loss against Atletico de Kolkata. But since he made his comeback against Kerala Blasters, he has smashed in four goals and two assists (in 2 matches). [caption id=“attachment_2521102” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mendoza and Jeje celebrate a goal against Delhi Dynamos. ISL[/caption] Marco Materazzi has learnt his lesson: Mendoza is simply undroppable. If this was Jose Mourinho’s team, Mendoza would be bonafide untouchable. So, what makes this ever-smiling striker so irresistible in the ISL? Anticipation: Chennaiyin’s first goal against Delhi Dynamos in their recent 4-0 win personified Mendoza’s anticipation the most. If you look at the goal again, you will find that Mendoza is aware of goalkeeper Toni Doblas coming for it and judged that the ball was going to be awkward for the Spaniard. He held back and waited expectantly for the goalkeeper to make the mistake, before grabbing the opportunity with a beautifully controlled volley. Whenever he senses a goal-scoring opportunity within the penalty area, you can be sure to find Mendoza making space available for himself to get a shot out – a trait that is an imperative requirement for a striker and one that he has in immense quantities. Workaholic: If there is one player you can depend in the Chennaiyin team to harry the defenders for the full 90 minutes, then it has to be Mendoza. Bruno Pelissari’s first goal in ISL 2015 may not have come about if Mendoza hadn’t been keen on pressing Delhi centreback Anas Edathodika when their defence seemed comfortable in possession. He forced Anas to make a sloppy pass, Bruno capitalised on it, and bang - Chennaiyin had sealed the match. He does not stop at the defenders. Whenever any of the midfielders have made a foray up front, Mendoza can be found sweeping for them in midfield. Especially if he lost possession somewhere, he will go right behind to get the ball back – if you want a comparison with a modern star, then a young Wayne Rooney comes to mind. He even makes sure that opponents make no delays in goal kicks and throw-ins when Chennaiyin are chasing a game. All in all a complete workaholic on the field. Selfless visionary: One side of Mendoza we didn’t get to see until the match against Delhi Dynamos is his vision to create goals. He first squared to Jeje Lalpekhlua who was free to shoot, which eventually lead to Pelissari’s goal. Then came the delightful low cross for Jeje to score. More than the technique, his awareness of Raphael Augusto to play a one-two and a quick glance to spot Jeje shows he is not all about scoring goals himself. This was evident even in the last match when he tried to square to Jeje rather than shoot, drawing his manager’s ire. He then went on to score a hat trick later on. He revels in creating the goals for others as well. No wonder Materazzi wants to wrap his in form man in cotton wool - taking him off after 55 minutes when Chennaiyin had comfortably killed the game.