If there’s one thing football fans are guilty of – but they will never admit it – is judging a player the first time they see them in action and then refusing to change their mind.
We can deny everything we like, but the first impression is involved in our memory for eternity and when the player’s name is mentioned in a conversation, we immediately claim that they are either brilliant or scary – depending on how they played the first time we saw them.
Mason Mount’s Chelsea form should guarantee him a place in England starting XI | Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
We are a stubborn old group and the thought of admitting we were wrong sends a shiver down our spine.
Mason Mount has found that he is wrong about our late stubbornness, but for a slightly different reason than the one mentioned above.
The Chelsea man has apparently become the whipping boy in English football in recent years, just because his respective managers at both club and country have shown enormous faith in his talents and made him a regular with Chelsea and England.
‘Oh, he’s a teacher’s pet, he only gets a game because he licks [Gareth Southgate’s/Frank Lampard’s/Thomas Tuchel’s] the back and runs a lot ”. Sounds familiar?
The midfielder has struggled to shake this tag ever since he cemented his place in the starting XI for both club and country, but it’s time we football fans did the unthinkable and admitted we were wrong. * Takes a cartoon-esque high cool as a single jet of sweat drips from his forehead *.
The Chelsea man form this season has been unequivocally excellent and played the role of his side’s main character in helping draw the blues towards a Champions League place, even though the squad is full of big money and house names.
Since Thomas Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s season has received a much-needed shot in the arm and they are now in the mix for a top four finish.
Frank Lampard’s last months at the club were a well-documented disaster, but still towards the end of the club legend’s term, Mount tried to pull his team forward alone, with a fantastic individual performance at Fulham especially catching the eye as he scored the game’s only goal to secure the three points.
No matter how well Chelsea have played since Tuchel’s arrival, it could not be for Mount that they could still drop in the middle to pick up the pieces from Lampard’s disastrous reign.
Mason Mount has helped pull his side forward this season Pool / Getty Images
Of course, the unbelievers out there will point to the individual brilliance of both Phil Foden and Jack Grealish when they argue that Mount does not deserve a place in England’s start XI, but with the trio locked in six Premier League goals this season, it is clear very little in it.
All three are undoubtedly talented attacking players, so to separate them you have to go deeper into their all-round play, which is why Mount should be an automatic start for England.
Some teams are good enough to afford a luxury player, but very few teams can afford two, and Mount is far from a luxury player. His work ethic and energy set him apart from both Grealish and Foden, and the statistics prove it.
According to Whoscored, Mount excels in each defensive column compared to his two compatriots and completes more tackles per 90 minutes (1.8) compared to Foden (0.9) and Grealish (1.1) and more interceptions per game than the pair (0 , 8 compared with Fodens 0.5 and Grealishs 0.4).
We do not suggest that the stars of Manchester City and Aston Villa do not work for the best of the team, but the simple fact is that Mount works harder, and England need it if they are to accommodate either Foden or Grealish.
Mason Mount is special. ? pic.twitter.com/Qe7ALYL3Eh
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) April 7, 2021
There has been a lot of talk in the build-up to Euro 2020 about letting go of young people and just seeing what they can do. If they were to foolishly adopt this strategy, as soon as the Three Lions encountered a well-drilled outfit with elegant operators on their side – of whom there is a fair share of this summer’s European Championships – Gareth Southgate’s men would be torn apart, which is why they need disciplined workers in the team.
For those of you who are too young to remember, Kevin Keegan once tried a very similar tactic with Newcastle in the mid 90’s, adopted very little playing field and just tried to do more than the opposition – if you go and look at Magpie’s honor roll on Wikipedia you get a decent feel for how it went.
Mount is a combination of both a flair player and a workhorse, and England simply can not afford not to start him in this summer’s Euro 2020.
Admitting that you were wrong sucks, huh?
