Chelsea travel to Borussia Dortmund for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 clash, but one former Blues boss believes Graham Potter needs to make a very brave call
Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle urged Graham Potter to keep Mason Mount out of the first XI.
The England international was dropped for the Blues’ away draw against West Ham United. He was brought off the bench in the first half and helped create the chance which led to the moment of controversy where Conor Gallagher struck the ball against the arm of Tomas Soucek.
Chelsea travel to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League. And Hoddle believes Mount may benefit from a spell away from Potter’s starting team.
“I’m not surprised. In the length of time I have been in football, I have been waiting for that to happen,” Hoddle said before the game, when asked if Mount has experienced a dip in form. “He’s a very, very good young player and he has looked sharp for many years. I am thinking, he needs a rest at some stage.
“He was playing England games, Southgate trusted him and played him a lot. He needed a rest. All of these players have played a lot, but particularly him. If you look from his days, even at Derby, Frank played him all the time, he was always in the team. Tuchel was the same. He’s had a hell of a lot of football.
“He’s only human, he’s a young man, and I have been waiting for him to tail a little bit. The best thing for him is to take him out for a little bit, give him that breather, and then he will be chomping at the bit.”
Since he established himself as a first team player under Frank Lampard in 2019, Mount has made 189 appearances for the Blues, contributing 33 goals and 37 assists. In 29 appearances in all competitions this season, Mount has contributed three goals and six assists, four of the latter coming in the Champions League.
He also lost his place in England’s starting XI at the World Cup, as Jordan Henderson displaced him after the Three Lions drew 0-0 against the USA. But despite the recent setbacks, Hoddle has backed Mount to rediscover his best form.
“He will be physically and mentally ready. He’s not become a poor player, so the Chelsea fans who are calling for his head, they should be doing it in a different way.
“I think he needs a rest; I really do. He has so much talent, he can be such a huge asset for Chelsea, but not at the moment. He just needs that little bit of rest.
“He doesn’t really get injured. Sometimes with an injury you get that little bit of rest, it is forced upon you.
“So at the end of the day, he could do with just having that bit of rest and period of time, and then going again at a vital time for Chelsea.
SOURCE: dailystar.co.uk
