Mason Mount's performance for England against Iran proved why it is often unfair to judge him solely on his numbers. The 23-year-old didn't get a goal or an assist, he didn't play any eye-catching passes or jink through the Carlos Queiroz attempted blockade: he just moved, found space, moved again into more space before getting the ball in lots of space.
For Mount as well, his pockets of space seem smaller on the pitch but can be just as effective as having clear yards around him. When there's 11 men in front of you and no room outside the box, it can be hard to find areas not occupied by a defender. The full-backs and wingers had the joy in that sense, but yet Mount was still available on his neat half-turns throughout the game.
Bukayo Saka got two goals, Harry Kane got two assists, Jude Bellingham ran the show, but Mount was integral to the whole thing. On one hand he thrived in a working system, something he hasn't been afforded at Chelsea in recent weeks, but on the other hand he truly made the most of it.
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Few players are able to find the areas he does and cushion the ball so softly on the half-turn like he does. As a midfield shapeshifter - somewhere between No.8 and No.10, Mount was able to lure people to him, tip the ball away and then move on. It's not a goal contribution, but a more common area of his game is to play passes in the lead up to goals.
Especially for England, as opposed to club level, Mount isn't relied upon for that. For the Three Lions he can afford to give it to Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka, Mount doesn't get that luxury at Chelsea. He is just as much liked for the role he plays rather than what he does. Just by being in the right spaces he creates chances for others, even if the pass is simple in the build up.
That's what caught the eye of Adam Lallana, who glowed about Mount for the Telegraph. The Brighton midfielder wrote about the first goal: "Mount’s role in what followed is also crucial and emphasises just why he is such an important player in this England team.
"The fact that he is free to receive the ball in the first place is because he possesses a natural ability to find the half-space, the pocket between the defender and midfielder.
"He doesn’t go looking for it. There is a split second when an Iran player is beside him as England have the ball near the halfway line, yet Mount simply stands still and his opponent loses focus and goes towards the ball.
"From there, it is all about the little details that are so important at the highest level. Mount does not take an extra touch but releases it quickly to Raheem Sterling, who is then facing the Iran goal.
"But if Mount takes another touch, everything slows down. The momentum and flow within the attack would not be the same and it may not result in a goal. Of course, the header from Bellingham is superb, though I like Mount’s contribution because it shows real tactical understanding."
Lallana is stylistically a good comparison for Mount. He played 34 times for his country, scoring three times, and was never the flashy player but the necessary player. Despite Mount not being in great form for Chelsea and Graham Potter, he is still selected week-on-week.
He has become a mainstay under every manager he has played under, be it Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, now Potter or Southgate, and Lallana can see why. "That is why he is a manager’s dream," the former Liverpool man continued.
"The glamorous selection by England would have been to play Phil Foden as a No.10 alongside Bukayo Saka and Sterling, but picking Mount was another of the calls Gareth Southgate got exactly right.
"And it is no surprise to me having worked with Graham Potter at Brighton that Mount has started every Premier League and Champions League game barring one since he took over at Chelsea in September. I think he would improve any team in the world."
Chelsea are keen to extend his contract way beyond the 2024 expiry but will have to wait for him to come back from Qatar to continue negotiations. It's not about the valuation or understanding of Mount being off in this sense, Foden himself spent a year deliberating over his new deal just to sign in a fairly straightforward manner. Chelsea will be hoping Mount does the same.
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