In November 2020, Gareth Southgate was able to laugh at the “memes” made to mock his adoration for midfielder Mason Mount.
The Chelsea star has been nurtured and followed by the ranks of England by Southgate and, to be honest, Mount has never disappointed the Three Lions when asked.
He has 29 capital letters so far, Southgate as a person is fiercely loyal to those who offer him and the “memes” soon became popular, after answering a question about Jack Grealish talking about Mount.
“I guess that’s what you mean by Mason, whose only crime is not being Jack right now,” Southgate joked.
“I’m also aware that I should talk about Mason because then it makes the memes keep talking about Mason,” Southgate added happily.
It was a cheerful joke with many Aston Villa fans irritated by Grealish’s lack of minutes compared to Mount. Now, the head of England will find himself shuffling much more awkwardly as calls grow to push Grealish in front of Mount.
Mason Mount (right) was once again replaced by Jack Grealish (middle) in the service of England
Gareth Southgate (middle) will soon send calls for Grealish to start ahead of Mount
Going back to a tried and tested 4-2-3-1, it was once again Mount who started behind Harry Kane. He also started the 1-0 defeat to Hungary, playing to the left of Kane with a 3-4-3 set up.
Caps 28 and 29 were disappointing for Mount, although many have fallen short of their level in the last two games, due to tired legs piling up at the end of a long season.
But it’s becoming inescapable that Southgate, no matter how much he’s a Mount fan, just doesn’t get the most out of it.
Since November 2020 he has not scored for his country and, reflecting on the European Championship, the last major tournament that was used as a benchmark, he only got one attendance in five matches.
This is not to hit Mount, who has emerged through Chelsea’s academy and his first team as a good player under Frank Lampard and now Thomas Tuchel.
But five months before the Qatar World Cup, Southgate will be under increasing pressure to turn to Grealish to try to bring his attack to life, at the expense of Mount.
It’s not that either player agrees that a decision needs to be made.
“I would never see it as a rivalry,” Mount said after a landslide victory over the Republic of Ireland in 2020.
“We are two different players and we do different things. We are different players. We can play different roles.
‘Jack? You know what he can do. He is a world class player who can create and score goals and that is what we need in any England team. There are different players in this squad who can play in different positions.
Mount (right) was also replaced by Grealish in Hungary, with the two apparently an oo
And Grealish, do you agree? You bet he does.
“I love Mason,” he said.
“Actually, he’s a little upset because he’s probably a little hooked at times, but I’ve always been close to Mason, I think he’s an absolutely fantastic player.
“I don’t think we’re really fighting for the same place to be honest.
“Like I said, I think Mason is undervalued and he deserves all the credit he gets. I think people who know football will understand how good he is.”
They may point out that they are not competing for everything they like, this does not make the reality less real.
In both games last week, Southgate went to the bench looking for a difference, called Grealish and gave Mount the signal that his night was over.
With Jude Bellingham seen as an option in a deeper role, Grealish and Mount will have months to bolster their cases to start their first match in Qatar against Iran on November 21st.
Based on Tuesday’s cameo against Germany, it is Grealish who is gaining public support.
The key difference, in the eye test, if not more, is that Grealish is the one who takes risks, the maverick that every top team needs.
Southgate (left) is a big fan of Mount, but his attack output in 29 games has been minimal.
Mount, although he can be a threat and a facilitator as he has repeatedly shown at Chelsea, being a much safer selection. He is diligent out of possession and is said to be the dream of a manager to work.
Grealish, on the other hand, can be as big as it is frustrating.
With 20 minutes in the Allianz Arena there was a lot more grit than frustration. Despite such a limited tie, the City man completely turned the game around, playing a key role in England saving the 1-1 draw.
Statistically Grealish was fine; an overcoming rate of just 71 percent is nothing to highlight, but the eye test told its own story.
Grealish went straight, as he often does, and advanced England. There are few better ball carriers in the squad than Grealish.
“We’re not blind to a good player,” Southgate said of Grealish at that 2020 memes press conference.
With 22 games and only one goal, although many appearances have been limited minutes or, as was the case at Euro 2020, they saw him replaced, to be replaced again, in the semi-final against Denmark.
Grealish excites fans, the belief that the game can bring opponents. Risk and reward, something that doesn’t look very Southgate.
And this is the enigma of the head of England. There is a lot of pressure on Qatar, as it always is with England in a major tournament, but will it compromise their pragmatic approach, more often than not, to unlock Grealish?
“The start of the game, the challenge of the wide players to attack, defend, try to score goals at a high tactical level and you have to be right,” he said when asked why Grealish started on the bench. .
“I think this is an area where Jack can improve.”
Grealish is riskier than Mount, leading opponents, though often late in matches.
And there it is. While it would be unfair to suggest that Southgate does not trust Grealish, it is clear that the glove has been put on. The city man must become a sponge in Southgate’s demands if he wants to displace Mount while Plan 1A arrives on the flight to Doha.
“What he did was bring the ball and at that point in the game as it opens there’s a little more space, a little more opportunity and also that freshness,” Southgate said, praising his impact from the sidewalk.
“The impact he and Jarrod Bowen had was very important in those attacking areas. There’s a good challenge there, a good competition for the places and we have to keep pushing them.”
The momentum behind a player can change quickly and it is likely that Southgate will continue to show faith in Mount who has been his supporter for so long.
But with Gary Lineker leading Grealish’s calls for more playing time, it’s getting harder and harder to block out noise.
And no, they are not ‘different players’ in ‘different positions’. This is a decision that Southgate will have to make.
Mount (second from left) and Grealish (second from right) are close and have downplayed the “rivalry” conversation.