Mason Mount masterclass proves why he remains Chelsea's most important player
Cameron Smith
- 16 Oct 2022 16:25 BST
- 3 min read
When Thomas Tuchel was sacked after Chelsea's poor start to the season, Mason Mount was yet to score or assist in any competition for club or country in the 2022/23 campaign.
After six games of Graham Potter's tenure at Stamford Bridge, Mount has now seen his tally for the season rise to two goals and three assists, as well as scoring on England duty against Germany.
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The Englishman may have been fortunate in his two goals against Aston Villa, with Tyrone Mings' woeful header gifting him the first, before Emiliano Martinez stepped towards his wall and was wrong-footed by Mount's free-kick in the second-half.
However, the goals signalled the improvement Mount has shown since Potter's arrival, and how crucial he remains for this Chelsea side.
The Cobham academy graduate was heavily criticised for his lack of final-third goal contributions at the start of the season, but under Potter he's looked revitalised and has altered the zeros that were next to his goal and assist tallies not so long ago.
A player who divides opinion for his perceived lack of open-play creativity, Mount has been an ever-present under Potter, who has become the third Chelsea manager to favour the Englishman over other forward players.
While Mount may not please the masses, he is a player able to take on instructions from any manager he plays under and he has the quality to provide end-product, something he's shown over the past few weeks.
Mount's recent form
The Englishman failed to rack up a goal contribution in Potter's opening three games in charge, but has replied with five goals and assists in his past three appearances, and he's truly back to his best.
His assist for Kai Havertz's goal against Wolves was slightly lucky due to Jose Sa's positioning, but his reverse pass into Christian Pulisic's path was simply mesmeric and was a prime example of what Mount can do in and around the 18-yard box.
After a dominating first-half performance at San Siro saw his come away with an assist and the 'Man of the Match' award despite being taken off after 45 minutes, Mount finally got off the mark for the season at Villa Park. His first showed his positional intelligence to get on the end of Mings' poorly-judged header, while his second wrong-footed Martinez.
Furthermore, the way Mount has been able to play on the half-turn and take on Potter's pressing instructions has seen him become a key player for yet another Chelsea manager.
