With rising hypothesis over Mason Mount leaving Chelsea this summer season and Liverpool closely linked, the place would possibly the midfielder slot in at Anfield?
Liverpool are stated to be in “pole place” to signal Mount, with the Chelsea man unable to agree a brand new contract, with reviews suggesting a £50 million price ticket.
The Reds should not the one aspect within the 24-year-old, in fact, and there’s nonetheless an opportunity he indicators an prolonged take care of his boyhood membership.
However as Liverpool push forward with plans for a midfield rebuild that would additionally embody Jude Bellingham and Matheus Nunes, Mount’s title has acquired many supporters speaking.
So, ought to he arrive, what would he carry to Liverpool?
Considering between the bins
Mount is an distinctive technical and athletic expertise, his nice depth and intelligence off the ball matched by high-quality in possession.
Breaking by at Chelsea below Frank Lampard in 2019/20, Mount was a part of an attacking 4-3-3 formation not dissimilar to Jurgen Klopp‘s at Liverpool; urgent from the entrance and constructing assaults by large areas.
Usually deployed as considered one of two midfield No. 8s, Mount carried out very equally to the title-winning iteration of Gini Wijnaldum.
This piece from Smarterscout reveals him popping up in large areas regardless of enjoying as a central midfielder, usually linking play with large gamers and dropping in to defend the area behind attacking full-backs.
Mount’s proficiency on this ‘between the bins‘ position additionally reveals up in his knowledge from that season.
(* Statistics by way of Squawka, measured per 90 minutes)
However what does this seem like in follow?
On this instance from a 0-0 draw with Brighton in 2020/21, Mount is up in opposition to an aggressive excessive press – one thing Liverpool have usually struggled with this season.
As Reece James receives the ball, Brighton are pushed proper up, boxing the ball right into a small space near the objective.
Mount drops in to supply his team-mate a route out, however crucially, he’s additionally already scanning up the pitch to see the place he can play the ball as soon as he receives it.
When he does, he’s in a position to play an correct ball excessive below stress.
This evades the excessive press and provides Chelsea an opportunity to transition ahead.
Mount can also be adept at shielding the ball together with his physique and dribbling his manner into area, very like Wijnaldum.
Throughout the goalless draw with Leeds in 2021, the Blues have been struggling to play by a Marcelo Bielsa-drilled press.
Mount drops in to present an out-ball, attracting the eye of Luke Ayling. However the Chelsea man makes use of his physique effectively to roll Ayling, obtain on the half-turn and carry the ball into area.
He then makes an attempt a artistic by ball – it’s barely overhit, however his particular person talent turns defence to assault quickly.
Transitional Gini-us
Liverpool’s struggles in opposition to attacking transitions this season have been mentioned quite a bit.
The 7-0 thrashing of Man United confirmed how the brand new technology might look, however usually this season the Reds have struggled to construct their very own direct assaults, as proven by their timid buildup play within the loss to Bournemouth.
Mount is great not simply in deep buildup but in addition turning defence into assault, particularly with fast runners in entrance of him.
Within the 2021 Champions League closing, Man Metropolis additionally appeared to press excessive, with Eduoard Mendy pressured to go lengthy to Ben Chilwell.
The left-back finds Mount within the left half-space, and he once more makes use of his higher physique effectively to withstand the problem, permitting Chelsea‘s attacking gamers time to interrupt forwards.
As soon as Chilwell has overlapped, Mount makes use of a intelligent piece of talent to play him in.
Later, the very same tactic led to the decisive second of the sport.
After Mendy and Chilwell hyperlink as soon as extra, Mount receives once more – this time with area to show, he performs a pleasant by ball to arrange Havertz’s successful objective.
Regardless of the likes of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku misfiring in entrance of him, Mount has nonetheless recorded 37 assists for Chelsea to date.
The prospect of him supplying Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and Co. is subsequently tantalising.
Liverpool do have already got proficient creators in midfield resembling Thiago and Harvey Elliott, however Mount matches ingenuity with physicality; working tirelessly off the ball to assist his aspect defend transitions and absorb stress.
That is usually cited by Gareth Southgate when requested why Mount is most popular to extra common choices in attacking midfield.
Creativity
Whereas very succesful in a extra understated midfield position, Mount can also be a extremely artistic participant with a tangible finish product.
Final season, he logged a career-best 13 targets and 16 assists in 53 appearances; a objective involvement as soon as each 1.83 matches, or one each 130.4 minutes.
He additionally generated 4.53 ‘shot creating actions’ (passes, dribbles and fouls drawn earlier than a shot) per 90 – for context, Salah generated 4.59 and Trent Alexander-Arnold 5.05.
Moulded in Lampard’s picture at Derby and Chelsea, Mount is adept at ‘crashing’ the field to complete off assaults, in addition to scoring solo targets from vary – resembling his winner at Anfield in 2020/21.
He’s additionally used his wonderful vary of passing and crossing on set-pieces at Chelsea, which would scale back Liverpool’s dependence on Alexander-Arnold for dead-ball deliveries.
Tactical flexibility
These belongings – technical capacity, work price and creativity – are all relevant throughout a wide range of roles.
Mount has subsequently been an staple below a number of managers at his membership in addition to Southgate’s England.
Regardless of being simply 24, Mount has already performed many methods and operated as a No. 8, a No. 10 and a left winger.
This tactical flexibility is invaluable for a supervisor altering methods inside video games.
For instance, earlier than Diogo Jota arrived in 2020, Liverpool had two choices up entrance: Roberto Firmino, a specialist false 9, and Divock Origi, a traditional No. 9.
Jota’s capacity to play each of those roles, in addition to off the left, allowed Klopp to fluctuate his setup – for instance, switching to 4-4-2 in opposition to Man Metropolis in January 2021.
When a supervisor adjustments system mid-game, a substitution or two is normally the catalyst – bringing on a participant with a special skillset to shift the strategy.
However doing this effectively depends on having gamers with wonderful recreation intelligence already on the pitch, who can slot seamlessly into a brand new position.
Mount is likely one of the finest within the Premier League at this.
Anonymity
The Wijnaldum comparability additionally extends to Mount’s flaws. The England midfielder can go lacking in video games, struggling to exert his model of understated affect.
The present marketing campaign is a testomony to this, with simply three targets and 6 assists in 32 video games to date in all competitions.
Within the current dismal defeat to bottom-placed Southampton, Mount touched the ball simply 20 instances in his 63 minutes, finishing solely half of his 12 tried passes.
In fact, he’s enjoying in a deeply unsettled Chelsea squad present process a troublesome transitional season.
He additionally featured closely in final season’s twin cup runs, shedding twice to Liverpool within the League Cup and FA Cup finals, in addition to a Champions League quarter-final run.
His 53 appearances got here instantly after a key position in England’s run to the Euro 2020 closing, whereas he additionally went to Qatar for the mid-season World Cup.
It’s no shock that key gamers for the three sides who performed probably the most soccer final season – Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Metropolis – have all carried out someplace beneath their finest.
Mounting a comeback
Whether or not within the blue of Chelsea or the crimson of Liverpool, anticipate Mount to be a resurgent power after a summer season’s relaxation and a full pre-season.
Whereas including only one participant is unlikely to remodel Liverpool’s struggling midfield, plans seem like in place for 3 new arrivals as Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arthur, amongst others, go away.
Bellingham stays the precedence, and there’s an comprehensible emphasis on the Dortmund teenager.
However there’s definitely a spot for Mount, too, if the deal could be carried out.
