Lampard and Southgate love Mount – and the trolls won’t change that

Has anyone got a legitimate explanation as to why they dislike Mason Mount so much?

There are many reasons why a footballer becomes very unpopular with members of the general public. It could be because they’re arrogant in interviews, guilty of terrible tackles on the pitch or that they behave badly in their private lives.

Mount is guilty of none of those things. So, what is his crime? Being selected regularly for club and country by Frank Lampard and Gareth Southgate.

It has become a common occurrence for the 21-year-old’s name to be trending on Twitter lately and when you click to find out why, a stream of negative, abusive comments flash up on the screen. It is all rather bizarre.

Rightly or wrongly, many will explain it away by saying, “That’s just the way it is with social media”. There isn’t a professional player in the sport who doesn’t get something nasty written about them at one time or another. However, it is the level of outcry over Mount that is particularly surprising.

Throughout the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea fans have called for their academy players to be given a chance. Lampard obliged last season by playing the youngsters regularly, none more so than Mount, who made a remarkable 53 appearances.

Lampard’s backing has continued into this campaign so far, too, the Chelsea manager starting the midfielder in the first five matches before naming him on the bench against Crystal Palace last time out.

But among sections of Chelsea’s global fanbase, his constant presence in the first XI has not been greeted warmly. The vitriol among this group reached new heights when Mount missed a decisive spot kick in the Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last month. His omission from the Palace fixture was cause for celebration in their eyes.

The international break has provided no respite. Being with England on international duty has only succeeded in putting a new target on his back. He is public enemy No 1, especially among Aston Villa fans, for being picked ahead of Jack Grealish.

The Villa playmaker certainly impressed during a 3-0 victory over a weakened Wales side and many expected him to feature in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Belgium but there was outrage when Grealish was on the bench and Mount appeared in the first XI instead.

Whether Mount was a conservative option or not, it seemed to evade the hate mob’s attention that he actually played on the right, a position that was filled against Wales by Danny Ings. It was Marcus Rashford who played in the position on the left that Grealish had filled three days before.

Mount ended up scoring the winner, albeit via a deflection, but that didn’t stop one national broadcaster from adding fuel to the flames by inviting callers to ring in, with the host saying: “I’d rather not win a World Cup with Jack Grealish entertaining us in the side than not win a World Cup with Mason Mount’s quality pressing.”

Should Southgate make the same decision against Denmark on Wednesday evening, inevitably, the Chelsea man’s presence will be seen in a negative light once more.

Your @bt_uk Player of the Match…

Well done, @masonmount_10! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vSIyEKNltt

— England (@England) October 11, 2020

Football will always generate differences of opinion and there is nothing wrong in debating why you think one individual should be in the team ahead of another, but surely there is room for a little perspective? Mount isn’t the bad guy here.

Amid all the protests, one suitable question can be asked but no one seems to want to explore the answer: why is it that Lampard and Southgate choose Mount in their teams so often?

Well, whether you think he is not as gifted as Grealish for England or Mateo Kovacic or Hakim Ziyech for Chelsea, that doesn’t mean he is not a good player. Lampard and Southgate have played at the very highest level alongside team-mates boasting tremendous skill, so they know what it takes.

When you speak to people around the scene at club and international level, they talk in glowing terms about Mount’s attitude, desire and work rate. Sure, he has the flair — many players over the years can say that — but this youngster has the hunger to improve, too.

It is understood that when the Chelsea players are put through physical tests, he is up there with N’Golo Kante as one of the fittest players within the ranks. As a club insider puts it: “One of the reasons Lampard likes Mount is because he trains every day as if it is his last. He has the ambition to be one of the best. When the club made all the signings during the window, he reacted positively and made it obvious he was going to fight for his place.”

Mount said as much in an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the new season: “Chelsea are a massive club and they will always bring players over so, as an English player from this club, you know that’s going to happen.

“When you have players coming in, they are going to help the team out. You always have to have that outlook on it. There is always going to be that little bit of a feeling they could be coming into your position but with me, I am always positive and up for the challenge.

“The manager is massive on training, having that standard, so that when we go into the games, we are all ready. I love competing against my fellow players.”

He will know that many of the new arrivals are on a lot more money than he is. Sources at the club suggest Mount, who signed a five-year contract in July 2019, is one of the lowest-paid members of the Chelsea squad. Yet there has been no sulking or demands for a meeting to negotiate a pay-rise.

Mount has clearly earned Lampard’s trust. A credible nine goals and eight assists from 58 appearances means he either creates or finds the net for Chelsea almost once every three games. That helps.

But he is also prepared to put the team first before himself. Mount’s best position is as a No 8, where he can get between the lines, see the play in front of him and threaten in the final third. This is where he operated to help Chelsea come back from 3-0 down at West Bromwich Albion last month, scoring the opening goal with a sublime shot from 25 yards.

Yet he is not played there very often. Indeed, he has been used in a variety of roles, some of which don’t complement his creative instincts. For example, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League at home last season and for the visit of Liverpool in September, Lampard asked him to play on the right — primarily, that move seemed to be designed for the midfielder to press and help defensively.

Southgate did the same for last weekend’s Belgium contest. Mount offered more protection for Trent Alexander-Arnold at full-back but using up all that energy chasing opponents and the cautious nature of England’s tactics meant he did little with the ball when it did come to his feet, especially in the first half. If Grealish had been switched from the left to the right for this match, would he have had the discipline to curb his own game for the good of the side? One can imagine that is the question Southgate asked himself and thought otherwise.

Speaking to Talksport following the victory, the England coach said: “In a tactical game, where it’s just as important defensively what the forwards do, to have a player like him (Mount) who can do both sides… the way that Marcus Rashford did, the way Dominic Calvert-Lewin did. I read a lot of things about Mason and I think he’s a very underappreciated player — but not by us.”

Southgate’s appreciation of Mount isn’t a new thing. Chelsea’s academy graduate first came to his attention when he had the role of England Under-21 coach. They spoke a few times at St George’s Park, conversations that continued after Southgate had been promoted to the senior job. Mount’s performances to help England win the 2017 Under-19 European Championship, where he was named player of the tournament, didn’t go unnoticed.

Sources in the England camp suggest they also shared an exchange after Mount was loaned to Vitesse Arnhem by Chelsea in the 2017-18 season. Before England departed for the last World Cup in Russia, he spent a week training with the squad. Mount also joined Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon on a trip to Russia during the tournament with team sponsors Nike, where he got to see how the team and Southgate prepare for a game.

Despite playing in the Championship for Derby County on loan at the time, Mount’s first call-up to the senior ranks was for the UEFA Nations League fixtures games with Spain and Croatia in October 2018, so it is clear Southgate had Mount earmarked as a potential member of his side for some time. It is not a sudden decision or should be taken as an insult to anyone else.

Naturally, there is a lot of room for improvement at club and international level but the midfielder is only in his second season playing in England’s top division, so that is understandable. His potential is vast.

Lampard had a legion of critics at West Ham at the start of his career. With his uncle as manager (Harry Redknapp) and his dad working as assistant, he was often accused of only playing because of nepotism. There is no better man to help Mount as he experiences a similar thing with Chelsea and England.

Earlier this month, Lampard said: “There’s a fascination with Mason. He’s homegrown and he’s a young player who’s got regularly into the team.

“He’s been picked regularly in the England squad because I know Gareth Southgate and (assistant) Steve Holland have absolute respect for how he comes and trains and performs for them. What Mason’s done is exceptional and there is a lot more to come. That’s part of the great thing about working with someone who has that attitude, mindset and quality.”