The Blues midfielder has admitted to being overwhelmed by the quality of the German champions on Europe’s biggest stage
Chelsea‘s Mason Mount has acknowledged the fact he “couldn’t get near” Thiago in the Champions League last season, but says he is determined to reach the “next level” after a “tough lesson” against Bayern Munich.
Mount enjoyed a breakthrough 2019-20 campaign at Chelsea after spending the previous season under Frank Lampard on loan at Derby.
The 21-year-old quickly adjusted to the demands of Premier League football, earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad in the process.
He contributed seven goals and five assists to the Blues’ top-flight cause, and also helped Lampard’s men reach the FA Cup final and Champions League knockout stages.
However, the lowest point of Chelsea’s season came when they met Bayern in the round of 16, as they lost 7-1 on aggregate to the side that would go on to win the competition for the sixth time in their history.
Lampard saw his side beaten 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 4-1 at Allianz Arena, with Mount given the run-around in both legs by former Barcelona playmaker Thiago in the middle of the park.
The England international says the experience helped him realise what it takes to compete for Europe’s top prize, and motivated him to improve his all-round game.
Mount told Sport Bible: “The Champions League is on another level. The games feel different. Bayern have some unbelievable world-class players… [Robert] Lewandowski, [Joshua] Kimmich and Thiago in midfield, I just couldn’t get near him.
“They moved the ball around the team so quickly. When you’re up against players like that you’re thinking, ‘How are we going to stop this?’
“It was a big moment, it opened my eyes. It made me realise, ‘This is the next level, this where you need to be’. And I am determined to work hard and reach that level.”
Pressed on what Chelsea learned as a squad from the heavy loss to Bayern, Mount responded: “The Bayern team have been together for a very long time, they know each other inside out and they’re all world-class players that have played hundreds of games; World Cups, Euros, big Champions League finals.
“They’ve been through it all so they had a big advantage over us younger boys. Obviously, it’s difficult to take a loss, but when you go through a game like that you learn so much, you learn so much more than if you win 3-0.
“It was a tough lesson, but we’ve taken so much from that experience and we’ll come back stronger.”
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