Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, has revealed he faced Mason Mount’s blazing glare after leaving the player on the bench for their top-of-the-table clash at Manchester City.
The 23-year-old was introduced later in the second half, as the Blues lost 1-0 to Pep Guardiola’s men.
Before the game, Mount was in fine form, with seven goals and five assists in the top flight this season.
However, ahead of the trip to City, Tuchel explained he wanted “more runners” in his attacking midfield, as he started with Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech.
“I get the eyes, I get the look,” he added. “I know the look, of course. He (Mount) is here to play these kinds of matches, but we were simply opting for runners.
“We thought we could break the line more often with Hakim as a left foot on the left side and going for Christian as a right side because of the arrival of Christian in the box.
“Normally, he is a bit more offensive, a bit more of a runner than Mason and we expected the spaces more behind the last line and not in front of the back four from City. So that was the decision.
“I felt Mason was not in the 100 per cent zone where he is untouchable, which he normally almost is. So we made that decision and it can happen from time to time.
“He’s not happy about it, but it will not last long because everyone loves Mason – me included,” Tuchel said.
