Chelsea’s Mason Mount shines in Euro debut with England

Three seasons ago, Mason Mount was an 18-year-old attacking midfielder making his first domestic loan move to Frank Lampard’s Derby County in the Championship. The youngster had ambitions of one day breaking through into the Chelsea first team, but was always told he would benefit most from a move away from SW6. He refused. Mount’s stubbornness and belief in himself ended up paying off. The 22-year-old is now the Blues’ reigning Player of the Season and a Champions League winner. The Portsmouth native has risen through the ranks of world football, catching the eye of many along the way, including the likes of Lionel Messi and Luka Modric.

Part of that ascendance to stardom included a call up to the England National Team. Mount was known at the time of his debut as “Lampard’s son,” with some fans being blinded by the duo’s connection rather than the world class talent sporting the No. 19. Gareth Southgate quickly took a liking to the youngster and gave him an important role in England’s starting XI. The midfielder got another chance to square off against Modric—his idol, who he defeated in the UCL semifinals—during England’s opening match of Euro 2020. Once again, Mount stole the show.

England struggled to find a breakthrough during the opening half, by no fault of Mount’s. He was pulling strings from his advanced midfield role and making things happen early. It was the Three Lions’ poor finishing that let them down throughout the match. England would go on to win the contest versus Croatia, 1-0, thanks to a Raheem Sterling strike in the opening moments after the interval. Although the young Chelsea star was not directly involved in the build-up, he was one of the first to begin celebrating with Sterling once the ball found the back of the net.

The Three Lions created a plethora of chances throughout the entirety of the clash at Wembley Stadium—Mount was integral in making them happen. His pressing ability made Croatia’s uninspiring back line nervous, forcing them into quick decisions and sometimes mistakes. The 22-year-old midfielder wasn’t only present in attacking phases though. His defensive skills were on display too.

Mount’s most memorable contribution on the day saw him dispossess Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic in the middle of the park, dribble around him and carry the ball all the way to the edge of Croatia’s 18-yard box. Brozovic then put in a tough tackle on his competitor and earned himself a yellow card. Mount took the ensuing free kick, which sailed over the bar at the far post, missing the back of the net by a matter of inches. He also lifted a beautiful cross across the face of goal, missing the feet of Harry Kane by a hair.

Mount was a pivotal part of rendering Croatia’s world class midfield—consisting of Mateo Kovacic, Modric and Brozovic—useless. Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice and Mount formed one of the tournament’s strongest midfield trios in the opening match. Overall, the Chelsea man wasn’t hailed as England’s best individual performer on the day, but he announced himself to the world during his debut campaign in the European Championships.

The Blues are also represented by Reece James and Ben Chilwell in the England squad. James found himself second in line on the day at right back for the Three Lions. Given Kyle Walker’s uninspiring performance on the right side of Southgate’s back four though, nobody would be surprised to see James given an opportunity to prove himself in the second game. Elsewhere, Chilwell was inexplicably left out of the match day squad. Southgate opted to play right back Kieran Trippier—who also stunk up the pitch—out of position, as opposed to Luke Shaw or Chilwell. Here’s to hoping the Champions League-winning left back is given an opportunity on Friday.

Mount and his Chelsea compatriots are back in action on Friday, June 18, when England squares off against Scotland.