Cards on the table – I am very cautious to call for a Chelsea lineup without Mason Mount.
And instinctively following his full rest on Saturday in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, it would not be a surprise to see the brilliant midfielder back in Thomas Tuchel's plans on Tuesday evening against Zenit.
Why wouldn't Mount feature in the beginning of Chelsea's defence of their European crown? Mount was the player who executed the killer pass for Kai Havertz to finish in the Estádio do Dragão. Mason is an elite athlete and professional, why overprotect such an outstanding individual who continues to silence doubters and reach new heights?
Firstly, is looking at the amount of minutes he has played in recent months for club and country.
After over 4,000 minutes played last term for Chelsea spread across 54 appearances, Mount was off to international duty for the delayed EURO 2020 tournament where he played 90 minutes or over 5 times across England's 7 games. After not featuring for any of Chelsea's pre-season fixtures, Mount came off the bench against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup and then started and completed the season opener against Crystal Palace.
During the international break Mount went the distance in the World Cup Qualifiers away to Hungary and Poland. Even coming off the bench to win a penalty in the expected victory over Andorra in a match he could have been given a full rest.
The increased workload for such a young player is a testament to his importance to one of England's elite clubs only at the age of 22. Anyone who watched Chelsea last season will know how essential Mount is to the way the team play and seamlessly transition the ball to attack.
His unmatched energy, selfless workload for the team in a defensive sense to drop deeper and help out teammates. His creative numbers from 20/21 matching the great Lionel Messi only go to further prove what a staggering talent Mount is so early on in his career. Under Frank Lampard, Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel Mount has asserted himself as a trusted member of their strongest lineups with his high levels of consistency.
Chelsea's fractured and concerning first half against Villa on Saturday certainty missed the continuity and intelligence of Mount, along with the calming Jorginho and robust captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
However, part of the claim to a title challenge this season for the European Champions is the strength in depth they boast now in several areas. With the plethora of options Tuchel has to choose from in his attacking trio, Mount should not have to play every game.
The issue was last season, Mount became undroppable because his levels were higher when others dropped and results plummeted during the winter. It was also evident without Mount's presence Chelsea would lack a natural verve and directness, falling into a more lethargic rhythm.
The responsibility to maintain high levels of performance needs to be shared around, even if Mount has already shown he has little issue carrying that heavy burden.
Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are four players who have either struggled for consistency or regular minutes over the last year. Although none of them have demonstrated the reliable levels of output Mount has for Chelsea, they are all capable individually of impacting big games for the club.
Tuchel has spoke frequently about how he loves utilising a bigger dressing room, and that is why Chelsea boast such a big one for a season which could eclipse 60 games if the club go deep in several competitions. There is adequate room to rotate, not only in the short-term, but to protect key players long-term fitness.
That is my concern for Mount – even if his battery on a pitch seems more sustainable than the latest iPhone – burnout is a real thing, and with such a generation defining talent, protecting his fitness now for years to come should be a priority. That is not to say Zenit is a game he can not impact from the bench for the last 30 minutes to keep up his match fitness, but in the coming weeks Tuchel has bigger fish to fry.
Next Sunday Chelsea travel to North London for the hostile derby away to Spurs, before facing Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in a heavyweight title clash. In terms of the three midweek games in this current block, I would only be starting Mount away to Juventus in the second Champions League group game which is likely to be our biggest test out of the draw.
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