Chelsea’s transfer ban last season had a positive impact on young players, one of whom was Mason Mount. His first season with the Chelsea senior team ended with a record of 53 appearances. Many even call Mount Frank Lampard’s golden boy.
Lampard and Mount have worked together since Lampard coached Derby County. Mount was on loan from Chelsea for the full season. Despite being 19 years old at the time, Mount became the fifth player with the most minutes played. Last season, after returning to Chelsea, only Cesar Azpilicueta has played more minutes than the England midfielder.
From a total of 3,741 minutes played, Mount was able to score eight goals and six assists in all competitions. High determination made Mount reliable when Chelsea pressed. Mount aggressiveness often makes it difficult for opponents. Mount’s first Chelsea goal came after having taken the ball in the final third.
Mounts are also a multifunctional performer. He can play as number eight in a 4-3-3 formation, fill in the attacking midfield position in a 4-2-3-1 formation, or expand to become the left wing in various formations, including 3-4-3. In the match against West Brom, he became the right wing because the attacking midfielders were Kai Havertz and Timo Werner playing on the left wing.
The 21-year-old player cannot be said to be a Chelsea star. But he was a mainstay of Lampard last season. “I really depend on Mason, like that was when at Derby, as well as at Chelsea, he contributes a lot to the team with a work ethic and he can press opponents from the middle of the field. “The quality with the ball is high and will continue to improve,” said Lampard when asked by the media after beating Leicester in the FA Cup last season.
Mount entered the top 10 midfielders with the most shots and key passes in the Premier League last season. About the shot, he only lost to Kevin De Bruyne and Son Heung-min. Regarding key passes, he ranks ninth. Mount is better than other Chelsea midfielders such as Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Ross Barkley or N’golo Kante.
Most recently, Mount performed quite well in the goal rain match against West Brom. Chelsea were surprisingly three goals behind in the first half. When Werner and Havertz were expected to save Chelsea, it was Mount who reduced the score. Mount’s long-range shot was Chelsea’s first goal. He was also involved in the third goal. The ball vomited from Mount’s kick was able to be used by Tammy Abraham to equalize. Mount had seven shots and four key passes, more than Werner and Havertz.
It is enough to contribute when Chelsea holds the ball, Mount can also be relied on when the opponent is holding the ball. As Lampard said, Mount can press opponents from the middle of the field. He also often helps Chelsea’s front lines when doing high pressing.
The graph below illustrates the balance of contributions made by Mount. Shot-creating actions are two attacking actions that initiate a shot. The stunt can be a dribble, bait, or foul. While pressure is the act of pressing the opponent when receiving, holding, or releasing the ball.
Mount did lose to De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and James Maddison in terms of attacking action, but he was a landslide superior to the amount of pressure. Only Emi Buendia and Joao Moutinho contributed more in balance. Not many players can contribute equally well when attacking and defending.
However, the balance provided by Mount will not necessarily lock up a place in the Chelsea first team. Chelsea need a higher quality than Mount to close the gap with Liverpool and Manchester City, so they spend a lot in this transfer market.
Werner, Havertz and Hakim Ziyech were certainly not brought in to warm the bench. Chelsea also still have Christian Pulisic who impressed last season despite being plagued by injuries. Mount has always appeared in the first three Premier League matches because Pulisic and Ziyech are not fit to play.
The entire transfer process involved Lampard, this indicates that all players were brought in with the 42-year-old coach’s approval. Unlike the purchase of Pulisic where Maurizio Sarri was not aware of the transfer activities carried out by the management. This means that Lampard wants all of these players to improve Chelsea’s quality by playing as the first team.
It’s hard to guess Mount’s position when Ziyech and Pulisic get back fit. Mount was too offensive to play double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mount’s possible position is only three attacking midfielders. Chelsea has Ziyech, Pulisic and Havertz for the position. Especially if Werner plays as a left wing. All new Chelsea players are used to playing high pressing at their previous club. Chelsea should still be able to press their opponents even if Mount doesn’t play. They can even provide an end product that is better than Mount if they are able to adapt quickly and find the best performance possible.
The 2020/21 season will be a busy season amidst the pandemic. Injury and fitness can haunt the Chelsea first team. Rotation is still needed, in these conditions the mount is reliable. Mount may not have played as many minutes as last season, but the work ethic and balance provided are too good to warm up the bench.
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