Scouting Report #25: Mawuli Mensah

Let’s start with some context once again.

With Real Zaragoza having one foot — and a half of the other — in Spain’s third division, the situation in the table is becoming dramatic. The poor classification creates anxiety. Players look nervous, low on confidence, and ultimately worse than their actual level. And that becomes a vicious cycle: bad results lead to pressure, pressure leads to worse performances, and the team keeps sinking deeper.

In Yussif Saidu’s report we already mentioned Zaragoza’s game plan and structural ideas, so if you want a full tactical breakdown, that’s the place to look. Here, we focus on the key reasons why the results are so poor — and why Mawuli Mensah might be part of the solution.

Zaragoza have two major problems. One of them, Mawuli Mensah has already started to address in just two appearances.

First: they lack goals.
Only 23 goals in 27 matches. For a team that relies heavily on counter-attacking football, those numbers are simply not sustainable.

But even more worrying is the second issue: they do not have a functional midfield.

In Rubén Sellés’ hybrid system — transitioning from a 4-4-2 in defense to something close to a 3-5-2 in possession — the midfielders fail to connect defense and attack in either structure. They often look outnumbered. They rarely demand the ball. Possession ends up being recycled backwards or lost under pressure.

The numbers are alarming. Toni Moya and Raúl Guti combine for just 62 passes per 90 minutes. Those are your two main creators. Add the third most-used central midfielder, and the three of them together barely reach 100 passes per 90. That is the lowest combined total in the league among the three most-used midfielders of any team.

Yes — that explains a lot.

And this is precisely where Mawuli Mensah changes the picture.

In the two matches Mawuli Mensah has played, Real Zaragoza have looked more connected. He constantly demands the ball, positions himself intelligently between lines, and offers passing lanes to teammates under pressure. Instead of forcing long balls, the team suddenly has an outlet to build through.

The statistics support the eye test: Mawuli Mensah averages 51 passes per 90 — half of what the other three main midfielders produce combined. He is already the most involved central midfielder in the squad in terms of distribution.

But distribution is not the only surprise.

At Real Betis, Mawuli Mensah did not show this defensive intensity. Here, he looks committed. He presses aggressively, anticipates dangerous passes, recovers balls, and understands when to step forward and when to hold his position. He disrupts opposition midfielders and brings a competitive edge that Zaragoza desperately need.

With Mawuli Mensah on the pitch, the team looks sharper. More connected. More aggressive. More coherent.

Two matches. Two draws.

For a team with 24 points in 27 games, that is not insignificant.

Mawuli Mensah may not solve every structural problem at Real Zaragoza — but he is already proving that he can fix one of their biggest ones: giving the team a midfield to rely on.