Mason Mount targets Champions League improvement after excellent Premier League debut season

The thing that’s so very easy to forget about Mason Mount is that this is only his very first Chelsea season, his very first Premier League season. And while he’s always had a mature head on his shoulders, he is still only just 21, and will be 21 for another six months, including for the first-half of next season (on the Internet, it never hurts to explain how age works).

Basically, barring something truly tragic, he’s only going to get better from here.

“He’ll definitely get better, because he is so young and sometimes when a player comes in and plays in their breakthrough year and stays consistently in the team, people maybe think they are older than they are.”

“His all-round game for the season has been brilliant, his work ethic and how he handles himself daily in training is brilliant, and he will get a lot better. He has contributed a huge amount and that is just a start for Mason at Chelsea.”

-Frank Lampard; source: Chelsea FC

Lampard’s Chelsea are already quite dependent on him to execute the coach’s vision to its full potential, and that’s likely to only increase even with players like Hakim Ziyech and (probably) Kai Havertz coming in. It’s not that Mount is Lampard’s favorite son; it’s more that Mount is a perfect fit for Lampard’s style of football. And may that long continue, by the way!

Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images

Of course, when you’re 21, you’re not going to be a consistently excellent footballer just yet. Those are things that come with age and experience. Fortunately, Mount’s acquiring the latter at a rapid pace, leading Chelsea in number of appearances (third in minutes behind Azpilicueta and Arrizabalaga) and looking to learn from every moment. The place where personally wants to improve the most is in European games, which, thanks in large part to his contributions, will be of the Champions League variety once again next season.

“All I wanted was to finish off the season in the top four and get into the Champions League. That is massive for the club. And that was all our focus. All our focus before the game, everybody needed to step up and deliver.

“We want to be playing Champions League football. You play against brilliant teams. We want to get as far as we did this season and then go on further.”

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“If I look back at performances in the Champions League I know I can do better. This is definitely a learning season for me. I had never played it before this season, I had only watched it on TV.

“This year I’ve been lucky enough to play in it and have learned so much. The games are so much quicker than normal matches. There’s the build up, the lights, it all goes so quick. I can go into next season knowing I played a few games now.”

Chelsea are of course not officially out of this season’s competition yet either, though overcoming a 3-0 deficit against Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 second leg in a couple weeks is unlikely to happen, to say the least. You never know, obviously, and that’s why you play the games, but the focus is definitely on the bigger picture, on the constant improvement.

“Chelsea belongs in the Champions League. As players we want to keep pushing and go further. I know we are not out yet but it’s a tough ask at Bayern. They are a brilliant team, we want to win it but focusing on next season to keep improving.”

-Mason Mount; source: Mirror

But first! FA Cup!