Chelsea starlet Mason Mount has quickly become one of the team’s most reliable and consistent players. Mount’s first-team chapter with Chelsea started when Frank Lampard was appointed as the Chelsea manager in 2019. Along with his office box from Derby County, Lampard brought Mason Mount too with him. Mount in his loan spell at Derby played under Lampard and in a blink of an eye, he cemented his place in the starting eleven at Lampard’s Chelsea. Mount’s spell at Derby County was an impressive one, playing 44 games and scoring 11 goals with 6 assists. Thomas Tuchel has also now placed his full faith in Mason Mount.
Being an attacking mid, Lampard deployed Mount in the number 8 role at Chelsea. Though Chelsea struggled, Mount flourished in Lampard’s 18 months-charge at the club. He improved his game massively in 80 games he played under Lampard at Chelsea. Mount even earned the national team call-up and established himself as the league’s one of the most prolific attacking player. However, Tuchel has somewhat experimented with Mount since he took over from Lampard in 2021.
Tuchel plans for Mason Mount amidst team’s reshaping
Chelsea fans went almost got a panic attack when Tuchel in his first game in charge dropped Mason Mount. Mount had become undroppable by the time Lampard left and this sudden change got on to every fan’s nerves. But over the time, Tuchel has showed that Mount still in an integral part of the team. Initially Mount started in his natural attacking midfield position under Tuchel, but now the 23-year-old is often seen in different positions. Most notably is the wing where Mount is seen under Tuchel. When Tuchel moved to 3-4-3 as soon as he took the Chelsea job. It was understandable that with two wing-backs, now only two places remain for pivots. Kante and Jorginho were the clear favorites to occupy the two spots.
But something exciting was cooking-up in the German manager’s head, which is widely regarded to be one of the best to work with young players. Tuchel started playing Mason Mount on the left-wing, which turned out to be a productive move too. Mount picked the opponents out of their position and pressed high while on the wing. This allowed Mount to rotate with the right-winger as well, making it difficult for the opponent’s defense. It was no rocket science in understanding that this free moment of Mount was aimed at giving him the number 10 role. After some defensive frailties, Tuchel tried 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-2-2 formations in Brighton, Plymouth and Tottenham games. With Kante-Jorginho and Ziyech-Odoi in 4-1-4-1, Mason Mount was handed in the responsibility of the lone pivot.
Tuchel to make final decision in summer
It is now evident that Mount will be heavily experimented in various positions and roles before Tuchel’s lays out the blueprint of the team post-summer. Chelsea’s club world cup win has opened gates for Tuchel to go on another spending-spree in the summer. Departures as well as arrivals will be settled in and then only Tuchel will start planning for his team’s 2022-23 season. Maybe, all this shifting and shuffling in Mount’s position is for to decide his final role for the next season. These experiments can not be labelled as no-brainers since stats justify that Mount has excelled in every position he has played at.
Tuchel has a plethora of talented players at his disposal who demand regular playing time. One can say its a blessing in disguise. But after all this is what Tuchel wanted. he has consistently stated that he needs a squad like Manchester City and Liverpool to sustain Chelsea’s title bid. Though their playing styles are different, the one player for City and Liverpool is fixed who pulls the strings. De Bruyne for City and Fabinho for Liverpool. Likewise, Tuchel wants Mount to develop that role for Chelsea’s future for the long-term.
If Tuchel decides to play Mount in his natural position only, wide players in could be slotted in easily. Tuchel paired up Havertz as the second striker with Lukaku, and Mount behind the two strikers in the club world cup final. Mount smartly picked the Palmeiras players out of their positions to open-up huge voids in the center of the attacking third for the wingers to exploit. It is clear that Mount is here to stay in the Chelsea midfield for years to come. Along with many, he is definitely looked upon as the foundation of the club’s future.
