2. Style of Play
Good in the air and with the ball at his feet, Mehdi Benatia is your archetypal modern-day center half. Whilst he might lack the pace some other defenders possess, what he lacks in pace, he more than makes up for it, with his reading of the game. His 6’3 frame means that he is taller than most of his contemporaries and as a result, rarely loses out on any aerial duels.
When making crucial interceptions or tackles, Benatia is a defender who relies on his awareness of what’s around him rather than his pace. While he is water-tight defensively, he is by no means just a solid defender. Calm and composed in possession, Benatia is also adept at starting attacks from the back. On average, he completes more passes than anybody in the Roma defense and has scored some crucial goals along the way as well.