\Manchester United news as review of Mason Mount has reflected on Thomas Tuchel’s tremendous impact on him and Chelsea amid swirling news of the latter being under consideration to replace Erik ten Hag.
Only six players have both scored and assisted more than 19 goals under Thomas Tuchel in his managerial career to date. This should come as no surprise, given he has never had a single man get to 100 appearances during his watch.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Angel Di Maria have achieved the aforementioned feat under the German tactician. Harry Kane scored 44 goals in 45 games with 12 assists in the Bundesliga, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed almost a contribution per 90 minutes as well.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Christian Pulisic (across Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea), plus Mainz’s Andreas Ivanschitz have also managed the 19 goals and 19 assists for Tuchel. Mason Mount is the only other.
Across just 18 months at Stamford Bridge, Mount played 87 games for Tuchel, hitting double figures for goals and assists in the Premier League in 2021/22, setting up a Champions League final winning goal, and becoming integral for club and country. 14 months at United and he has played 25 times in total, starting 11, scoring once and assisting one too.
This was a serious drop-off resulting in him losing his place in the England squad as he struggle for form and fitness, whilst rarely being in the spotlight. However, under Tuchel at Stamford Bridge this was hardly the situation.
Mount played all but 13 games under Tuchel and was key as a creative hub for a team lacking in adventure and was no less a disciplined tactical pawn utilised across the pitch, taking his output to new levels. Hence it came as no surprise that he was immediately a popular man in south west London.
“I remember we had a meeting in the morning,” Mount recalls of the trust day under Tuchel after Frank Lampard was sacked in January 2021.
“The week was a kind of whirlwind, it was crazy. It’s something I’ve never experienced before so you’re just trying to work out what’s the next step? What’s happening next? How’s the next day going to look?
“We had a meeting where he [Tuchel] put down everything that he wants us to do, how he wants us to play, how he likes to manage. He told us everything and then we went out and trained and we had a game the next day. So it was a crazy kind of turnaround but he was so clear on what he wanted and how he would like us to play, very clear on the roles and responsibilities, that it made it very easy for us to transition.
“From day one, as players we realised how he gives his game plan. It made it easy for us to go onto the pitch and do it. As a team we are players who react off that and adapt very quickly. It made it easy and we want to play in these big games and win trophies. That has always been our goal and since he has come in, he has pushed us and we have definitely had the opportunity to win big games and play in finals.”
Mount was surprisingly consigned to the bench in Tuchel’s first game having been effectively undroppable for Lampard across both Chelsea and Derby County in the two years prior. However his cameo was impressive and quickly the Cobham academy graduate went on to star as Chelsea won six of their next eight games.
Mount’s importance didn’t wane in Tuchel’s only full campaign at Chelsea as the German operated with a dynamic new style, eventually taking the Blues to the pinnacle of club football.
“This season over the last few I’ve probably played a little bit higher than I was used to – playing as a kind of forward 10, or sometimes a winger or a false nine,” he said in January 2022. “So I’ve had to adapt a bit but that gives me more opportunity to get into the box and have the opportunities to score and create.
“So far this season that’s been a big focus of mine, to improve that and to put pressure on myself to be someone who wants to go forward and step up and score goals and create assists. That’s definitely something that’s improved over the time he’s been here.”
If United do choose to move on from Erik ten Hag and manage to land Tuchel, then Mount is surely one who would hope to benefit after a pathetic start to his career in Manchester.