Mount looking to start Chelsea’s Champions League campaign with massive win over Valencia

Mason Mount has quickly established himself as a key player for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, despite his young age, and is hoping to continue to repay the faith shown in him as the Blues begin our Champions League campaign with tonight’s match against Valencia.

While it’s only the first of six games in the group stage, it’s practically a must-win, both for competitive reasons — it’s a very open, even group and so we must do well at home — and to maintain the confidence and upwards trajectory of Frankie’s Fledglings.

“We have got to start this one off with a win.”

”It is a dream to play in the Champions League and, for me playing in it with Chelsea, it is a massive game. You always want to get that first game under your belt and get that first three points. It is a tough, tough group, so we need to start strong and they are a good side. We are at home and we need to take what we did on Saturday into that.”

Chelsea won by three goals on Saturday, and incidentally, that’s how much we won by the last time Valencia were at Stamford Bridge, in December 2011, which was the last game of that year’s group stage. It was actually a must-win at that time, which Chelsea duly did — and then just kept winning all the way through to the final.

Mason was just 13 when Chelsea won in Munich, but like all Chelsea fans, has that night etched deep into his memories.

“It is a historic night in the club’s history, I was at home with my family watching it. I remember every part of the game, Drogba scoring the header and then the winning pen, brilliant night.

”Watching that as a kid, it gives you the extra fire and the goal to want to play in the Champions League because you have seen what the club has done before. I might have had my Chelsea top on. As soon as the game had finished, [it was] straight to bed because I probably had school the next day.

”I just remember all the family watching it and how excited we were, what a game, and you see all the celebrations after and how much it means to everyone, it means so much, and that is something in the history books for Chelsea.”

-Mason Mount; source: Goal

Don’t worry, Mason, we’re not expecting you to win the whole thing.

Yet.