Mason Mount was poor in the Carabao Cup loss to Tottenham Hotspur, but Frank Lampard’s questionable squad rotation didn’t help.
The 21-year-old has gone from a hero who inspired Chelsea to a comeback draw in the 3-3 draw against West Brom on Saturday to a villain who cost Chelsea a spot in the League Cup in a London derby.
His miss in the penalty shootout was poor but not as bad as his decision-making throughout the game, in particular during the two-v-one situation where he failed to make the final pass to Timo Werner, which could have put the game to bed.
You can see why Lampard may have planned to use him as an extra workhorse to help Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, who played in a two-man midfield.
But even defensively, the England international had a rough time on the pitch.
(Photo by NEIL HALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Having made just two tackles and one clearance in 90 minutes, Mount was dribbled past three times.
Spurs’ players also recorded a combined five successful dribbles past Kovacic and Jorginho, which suggests the plan to have Mount as additional cover was far from effective.
It wasn’t Lampard who failed to make the pass to Werner or miss the penalty, but he was the one who picked a tired Mount for a fifth 90 minutes of the season, as pointed out by some Chelsea fans.
Lampard kept Mason Mount in the second when he was clearly tired, another one on Frank's.
Could've easily brought Kai Havertz on, but no, let's keep Mason Mount for another 90 mins.#TOTCHE #CarabaoCup
— 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼 𝗫𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗲𝗿 🇧🇷 (@Fxds13) September 29, 2020
Won't even blame Mount. He's knackered. You can't ask him to play 90 mins 3 times a week. Also why Werner didn't take the penalty ahead of Mount?
— . (@ForeverBlue_07) September 29, 2020
But why start him Dan when he’s clearly overplayed???
Makes logical sense because it’s a) giving certain fans ammunition to berate him when he’s had an off game b) doesn’t help the team like the second half showed— Vialli's Chelsea FC (@VialliChelseaFC) September 29, 2020
Mount has played every minute of every Chelsea game this season and his performance clearly shows he could do with some rest.
The trust and confidence Lampard puts on Mount is admirable, but it may work against Chelsea and Mount alike.