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Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Chelsea star Mason Mount was benched for the Manchester City game as he was 'not in the 100% zone'. The midfielder came on very late in the game that saw the Blues lose 1-0 to the Cityzens.
Chelsea have fallen behind in the Premier League title race and are unlikely to catch Manchester City. The Blues sit 13 points below the league leaders and will have to put in 100% in every remaining game to get anywhere close to Pep Guardiola's side.
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Speaking to the media ahead of their game against Brighton and Hove Albion, Tuchel was quizzed about Mount. The Chelsea manager claimed it was a tactical decision to drop the Englishman but also hinted that the midfielder was not at his best. He said:
"I felt Mason not like in the 100% zone, where he is untouchable, which he normally almost is. He's not happy about it, but it will not last long because everyone loves Mason – me included.
"We were opting for runners. We thought we could break the line more with Hakim as a left foot on the left side and going for Christian on the right side because of the arrival of Christian in the box. He is a bit more of a runner than Mason."
When asked if Mount misses the connection he had with Ben Chilwell on the pitch, Tuchel said:
"I think he's also missing Reece James. Reece, N'Golo Kanté and him were so strong together. When you turn, you know without even looking he will come now, or I will go and get the pass and he will come, so I will be here."
Big month ahead for Chelsea
Chelsea will play Brighton on Tuesday night and then welcome Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Blues do not have a Premier League game scheduled for nearly a month after that. They are set to play in the FA Cup against Plymouth on 5th February and then head for the Club World Cup.
Tuchel's side could be outside the top four the next time they play in the Premier League. But they will have enough games in hand to get back to third spot.
