Mason Mount is thriving despite his critics

Mason Mount continues to defy critics and show why he is rated so highly by prominent figures in football.

The old phrase ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ was in full fruition with Mason Mount rested in the second half of England’s comfortable 5-0 victory against San Marino at Wembley.

One of the hottest topics in world football at the moment is who Gareth Southgate will select to form his midfield at the Euros this summer and despite San Marino’s lack of quality, Mount once again reaffirmed that the question should instead be rephrased to who will start alongside the Chelsea starlet.

While the stereotype of Mount portrays him as boring and far from the most eye-catching player on the field, his performances this season have shown that there is a decisiveness in his play that is crucial to both Chelsea and England’s success.

Despite only being on the pitch for the first 45 minutes against San Marino, Mount achieved the most key passes in the match and was only one pass from equalling the record for the most chances created in a single World Cup qualifier.

A record which is currently held by the footballing legend Xavi Hernandez, who managed nine key passes in 90 minutes against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second half saw far less productivity from the rest of the team and it should not come as much of a surprise as few players in the world can come close to the level that has become a normality for the Chelsea midfielder.

In fact, Mount is averaging 2.5 key passes per game this season a stat that is only topped by Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish in the Premier League.

‘Mentality Monster’ Mount

Yet as there was a clear gulf in quality between the two sides at Wembley, it will have done little to sway the critics in terms of his ability, however what can no longer be questioned is the elite mentality of the player.

From the age of six, Mount has grown up in the world’s most competitive academy, with the conversion rate from being a youth team star to becoming a first-team player at Chelsea has been less impressive.

Despite his father Tony worrying about his progression, Mount insisted he will be the next one to break through and became the first player from the academy since John Terry to become a regular in the starting lineup.

All of this while competing in a position where Chelsea fund extortionate amounts of money to improve their squad.

Despite the arrival of the likes of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic in recent years, Mount has remained a mainstay in the team and his father Tony revealed that he saw the new arrivals as a positive.

Tony Mount said: “Mason saw the players coming in as a massive challenge.

“People were saying he would lose his place and he was aware of that but I remember talking to him and he said, ‘they won’t take my place, I will raise my game.’ ”

This mentality of the Chelsea starlet has been transferred to the national side and it was evident once again against San Marino.

While the majority of his teammates were laxadaisicle in victory,  it was Mount who set the tempo for the game with his relentless pressing of the ball and constant desire to break the frail defensive lines of the visitors.

The Chelsea midfielder was withdrawn at half-time to protect him ahead of the more competitive fixtures that lay await for England but without the 22-year-old it was clear to see that the majority of the Three Lions lacked the desire rather than the ability to keep scoring goals.

Manager’s dream player

Contradictory to the critics who have dubbed Mount as Frank Lampard’s ‘son’ and Southgate’s ‘favourite’, the reality is that Mount is a dream player for any manager due to his consistency, reliability and versatility.

Mount returned to playing on the left of a midfield three against San Marino but has also been deployed as an attacking midfielder, a winger on both flanks and even as a false nine this season.

Despite the rotation of his position, the 22-year-old has been consistently impressive in all of those roles, managing an average rating of 7.34 from WhoScored, which ranks him in the top 10 of the Premier League.

While in terms of English players Mount is only behind Harry Kane and Jack Grealish on the average rating leaderboards.

The myth of being the favourite of Lampard and Southgate has further been dismissed following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

Similar to the match against San Marino, it was the absence of Mount in the German’s first match in charge of the Blues that truly affirmed the stardom of the 22-year-old.

Tuchel opted for an experienced line-up to face Wolverhampton Wanderers which saw Mount drop to the bench however the decision only highlighted the importance of the midfielder to Chelsea.

 

On being dropped Mount said: “I had that motivation and that fire to want to get into the team again.

“I understood he wanted more experience for the first game but I really tried to push to get back into the team so that motivation and that fire that I have inside me came out.”

The 22-year-old was called on for the final eight minutes of the match and sparked the life into an otherwise tepid attacking performance but it was too little too late for the Blues who had to settle for a 0-0 draw on the night.

The eight-minute cameo allowed Mount to re-establish himself as the first name on the team sheet under a foreign manager, who he has since started for in all but one league match.

The consistency of his performances has seen him rewarded with the armband for two FA Cup fixtures this season and club legends John Terry and Ashley Cole believe he will be the main leader in the future.

Alongside the Chelsea legends,  the English midfielder’s impressive displays have also drawn praise from legendary names in football that include the likes of Lionel Messi, Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Glenn Hoddle.

Should Mount’s rapid rise continue the 22-year-old himself will be making a serious claim to have the responsibility of armband awarded to him permanently for both his club and country.