Foden and Mount have been leading lights for Man City and Chelsea
Phil Foden and Mason Mount have been leading lights for Man City and Chelsea… they could be England’s golden duo at the Euros, but how do their stats compare ahead of the Champions League final dress rehearsal?
- Manchester City host Chelsea in a dress rehearsal of the Champions League final
- The battle between Phil Foden and Mason Mount promises to be a thrilling one
- Both England youngsters have been standout players for their sides this season
- On current form, you wouldn’t bank against them both starting at the Euros
After Manchester City and Chelsea booked their tickets for the Champions League final, young England duo Phil Foden and Mason Mount grabbed plenty of the headlines.
What Foden and Mount are doing for their respective leading clubs is not normal for players of such a tender age. They look born to play on the biggest stage and if they both keep their heads down, they will surely only get better.
Mount, 22, capped off an incredible display over the two legs against Real Madrid by scoring the goal that sealed Chelsea’s place in the European final, while Foden, 20, dazzled against Paris Saint-Germain – the team many viewed as favourites to go one better than last year.
England star Phil Foden has become one of the main men for Manchester City this season
Mason Mount is arguably manager Thomas Tuchel’s most important player at Chelsea
And after such influential performances during the week, former England striker Michael Owen was effusive in his praise of both stars.
Speaking on BT Sport, Owen said: ‘It’s so exciting for the summer of course with England. I think Mount, and Foden for that matter, are going to be two of the best players in the world in the future. They’re that good. It’s going to be so exciting to watch that.’
Then asked whether Mount and Foden can be compared to PSG forward Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, Owen replied: ‘They’re going to get there, Mount is a phenomenal player – but Foden can be one of the best players England has ever seen.’
Praise doesn’t get much better than that, and come May 29 when City and Chelsea meet in the final scheduled for Istanbul, they will both no doubt be looking to take centre stage.
It’s an extremely exciting time for England fans, and Mount’s Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel echoed these sentiments.
‘They are examples of how good young players can be and how good young players from England can be,’ Tuchel said of the English pair ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League final dress rehearsal against City on Saturday evening at the Etihad.
‘They are the outstanding examples at the moment. I can’t speak about Foden as he’s not my player but you can see the ability and desire to decide the biggest games. I have the impression he is a nice guy and has a clear character like Mason.
‘Mason is outstanding and he has the full package of being humble and full of talent. The national team can be very happy to arrive with these players because they are reliable at the highest level and they behave exactly how you want them to behave. They want to learn and be better and they don’t seem to feel the pressure, which is pretty amazing.’
And you’d expect, if they both start on Saturday in Manchester, that Foden and Mount will have a huge impact for their sides.
But ahead of the mouth-watering Premier League clash on the weekend, we’ve decided to crunch the numbers up and take a look at how the youngsters compare this season in all competitions.
There were some concerns over how Mount would fit in under Tuchel at Stamford Bridge after he replaced Frank Lampard, who gave the English midfielder the chance to shine on the biggest stage at Chelsea.
But Mount has shown maturity beyond his years and adapted to suit Tuchel’s way of playing, already becoming arguably his most important player.
He has been an ever-present for the west London outfit this season, making 49 appearances for Chelsea and featuring for 3,800 minutes.
Foden meanwhile has plugged away to earn Pep Guardiola’s trust at City and become a key man, which when you consider the vast amount of money and the star-studded array of talent at his disposal, is incredibly impressive.
Foden, who came through the academy at City, is fulfilling his boyhood dream and has gone onto play 46 times for the Premier League champions-elect this term.
He has featured in different positions this season, but mainly on the left of a front three for City – interchanging with the rest of the attack and helping out creatively in the middle of the park.
But despite playing almost 700 minutes less than Mount has for Chelsea in all competitions, Foden has more goal involvements than his compatriot – scoring 14 times and providing 10 assists. He is outperforming his expected goals ratio of 10.1 this season.
Foden and Mount could both have a huge say for England at this summer’s Euros
Foden has been involved in 0.7 goals per game this season for Guardiola’s side, while Mount stands at 0.4 – having scored nine times and laid on seven assists for his team-mates.
The above doesn’t come as a surprise though, considering the positions Foden gets himself into. He has averaged six touches in the area per game this season, which is a Premier League joint-high with England colleague Jack Grealish.
While Foden is perhaps more intricate in the build-up, Mount is more direct and this shows, having had the most shots (71) this term in the top-flight, 11 more than Fulham’s Ademola Lookman. Foden, meanwhile, has had just 40.
Mount does lead the way however in terms of creativity, and his good work has perhaps been undone by his team-mates’ wastefulness in front of goal at times.
Mount has created 97 chances compared to Foden’s 74 and has completed 625 more passes than his City counter-part.
But enough of comparing the pair now. When you take a look back at Foden and Mount’s stats from last season, the England international’s are taking on plenty more responsibility.
Mount, having played four games fewer so far than he did in the whole of last season, has already scored one goal more and produced two more assists.
Foden has plugged away at City and earned the full trust of manager Pep Guardiola
Mount silenced the doubters who questioned how he would fit in under Tuchel at Chelsea
Foden is doing even better but he has played more this term for City though, who have run away with proceedings in the Premier League.
Foden has already featured eight more times in 2020-21, but the faith in him is paying off for City – having scored six more goals and created one more assist this season.
Simply put, Mount and Foden have been two of the standout performers in English football this season, and they could be the golden duo for the Three Lions this summer at the Euros.
Gareth Southgate has a very welcome selection dilemma ahead of the Euros, with the likes of Grealish to choose from, too, while James Maddison will hope to have a late say despite being the most unlikely to be selected.
Prior to Grealish’s shin injury, he appeared a shoo-in for a starting spot thanks to his scintillating form for Aston Villa. He had 10 assists and seven goals in 23 matches, playing a helping hand in a goal every 122 minutes.
Maddison has 11 goals and 10 assists for Champions League hopefuls Leicester in all competitions at a rate of 135 minutes per goal involvement.
So it won’t be an easy call for Southgate when he picks his first squad against Croatia at the Euros on June 13, but it’s certainly a great position for him to be in. On current form, it’s hard to look past picking Mount and Foden, but who knows what’s in store this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes continue to lead the way from a creative point of view
Mount and Foden have someway to go to catch creative stars Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne but over time that gap will surely be cut.
Manchester United star Fernandes has a ridiculous 26 goals and 17 assists this season across all competitions and is leading the way from midfield in England.
Furthermore Foden’s City team-mate De Bruyne – who had missed a large chunk with a hamstring injury – has nine goals and 17 assists.
But as already mentioned, Mount and Foden’s ceilings are extremely high and they will only become more ruthless with age.
The young pair’s brilliant form is also the more impressive amid this hectic schedule both domestically and in Europe, with games every few days.
And after helping guide their respective sides into the Champions League final in midweek, Mount and Foden will look to prove the difference when Man City host Chelsea on Sunday in what is a huge clash for both teams.
City need all three points at the Etihad to guarantee them their third title in four seasons, while Chelsea will be desperate to walk away with a vital victory in the race for top four.
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article