Mason Mount reveals how Thomas Tuchel snub helped him rediscover best form
By Tom Gott
Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has confessed that being dropped by Thomas Tuchel for the manager's first game in charge helped motivate him to get back to his best.
An indispensable part of the team under former boss Frank Lampard, Mount was surprisingly dropped from the starting lineup in Tuchel's first game - January's 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers - prompting some fans to predict that the Chelsea youth revolution was over.
Tuchel quickly insisted that, given he had just 24 hours with the squad before the game, he had opted for more experience in his team and even admitted that his selection was 'unfair'.
After a few more days of training, Mount was reinstated to the first team and has since proven to be a vital part of Tuchel's system, and the England international admitted that feeling as though he needed to prove himself to the new boss helped bring out the best in him.
“I had that motivation and that fire to want to get into the team,” Mount said (via the Daily Mail). “The first game with the manager coming in, he went for a more experienced team.
“I understood that and wanted to get back into the team, so that motivation and that fire that I have inside me came out.
“I really tried to push to get back into the team. It’s been brilliant. We are working very hard. We’ve had tough games in this last period but we have come through it. It’s exciting stuff, we continue to work hard. It’s been a great start.”
Mount has since started eight of the last nine Premier League games, with Tuchel regularly admitting just how highly he rates the midfielder, and Mount admitted a lot of the credit for his recent form must go to Tuchel.
"It has been a bit of a roller-coaster over the last couple of months but it has been a valuable experience; I have learned a lot after being captain for the first time," Mount said (via Goal).
"I've played five positions in a match, not three! I changed a couple more but all good experiences for me to learn. I'm versatile and I can change positions. That's what the modern game is about.
"Coming into the international break, we're all excited, buzzing to be back together. We're ready to be down to business and play the games. It feels like yesterday that I made my debut at Wembley and it has gone so quick.
"You gain confidence and learn more in each camp. You want to keep getting better and better; that's the main thing. That's both personally and as a group. We are on the right track. It starts with these World Cup qualifiers and the game tomorrow."