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The Blues midfielder has admitted to being overwhelmed by the quality of the German champions on the biggest stage in Europe
Chelsea’s Mason Mount has acknowledged the fact that he “couldn’t get close” to 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 great 2019-20 campaign at Chelsea after spending the previous season with Frank Lampard on loan at the Derby.
The 21-year-old quickly adapted to the demands of Premier League football, earning a spot on Gareth Southgate’s England team in the process.
He contributed seven goals and five assists to the Blues’ main cause, and also helped Lampard’s men reach the FA Cup final and the knockout stages of the Champions League.
However, Chelsea’s low point of the season came when they faced Bayern in the round of 16, as they lost 7-1 on aggregate to the team that would win the competition for the sixth time in their history.
Lampard saw his team beaten 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 4-1 at the Allianz Arena, and Mount was flipped on both legs by former Barcelona player Thiago in the middle of the park.
The England international says the experience helped him realize what it takes to compete for Europe’s jackpot and motivated him to improve his overall game.
Mount said Sports Bible: “The Champions League is on another level. The games feel different. Bayern have some incredible world-class players … [Robert] Lewandowski, [Joshua] Kimmich and Thiago in midfield, I just couldn’t get close to him.
“They moved the ball around the team so fast. When you face players like that, you think, ‘How are we going to stop this?’
“It was a great moment, it opened my eyes. It made me realize, ‘This is the next level, this is where you need to be.’ And I’m determined to work hard and reach that level.”
Pressed by what Chelsea learned as a team from the big loss to Bayern, Mount replied: “The Bayern team has been together for a long time, they know each other from the inside out and they are all world-class players who have played hundreds of matches; World Cups, Euros, great Champions finals.
“They’ve been through all of that, so they had a huge advantage over us younger ones. Obviously, it’s hard to take a loss, but when you go through a game like that you learn a lot, you learn a lot more than if you win 3-0.
“It was a difficult lesson, but we have learned a lot from that experience and we will come back stronger.”
