In Focus: Gallagher is Mounting a challenge for Mason's England place

Chelsea ace Mason Mount has been an England regular for a number of years — but he is now facing strong competition for a starting place from Conor Gallagher.

Fellow Blues midfielder Gallagher, currently on loan at Crystal Palace, has been rewarded for an excellent season with a second successive England call-up for friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.

So impressive has the 22-year-old been, there is now a chance that the Surrey star could displace Mount in Gareth Southgate’s first-choice XI.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Swiss, we compare the trajectories of two men on course to pair up for both club and country.

Soaring Eagle

Palace have been a breath of fresh air under Patrick Vieira this season and midfield maestro Gallagher has more than played his part.

Catching the eye during previous loan spells at Charlton, Swansea and West Brom, a wider audience are now waking up to the Epsom native’s powers with his consistent displays in the top flight.

Gallagher has started 25 of Palace’s 29 Premier League games this season — missing two of those due to ineligibility to face parent club Chelsea and two due to a Christmas coronavirus outbreak in Vieira's squad.

With that show of faith from his French boss, the Palace No23 has an impressive return of eight goals and five assists in all competitions as the South Londoners sit comfortably in 12th having also reached the FA Cup semi-final.

His energetic approach sees him excel in defensive areas as well as attack and former Palace frontman Ian Wright thinks the midfielder is the cornerstone of Vieira’s exciting new-look side.

Wright said: "I’ve never seen anyone work that hard, closing down, running back, linking up with the defence, the midfield, going forward with the forwards.

"He gives them so much, that if you take him out, I think they lose a lot."

The magic Tuch

His exploits have not escaped the attention of parent-club manager Thomas Tuchel, either.

Sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich look likely to halt Chelsea’s summer transfer activity, meaning Gallagher’s emergence could not have come at a better time.

His hopes of a starting XI place with the world and European champions next term — of which Gallagher has made no secret of his desire to achieve — were handed a boost by the gushing praise the German boss gave earlier this season.

After Gallagher’s first England call-up, Tuchel said: "I am not surprised the national coach loves him because I loved him from day one. Humble, nice, smile on his face and all the time ready to give everything, wanting to learn and improve.

"As a team-mate I would have loved to play with him. It is a pleasure to know him — I am super happy that it has worked out so well. He needs to keep his feet on the ground."

Mounting evidence

The statistics show how remarkably similar the pair are in terms of their attacking and creative output.

Mount, 23, matches Gallagher’s eight league goals this term but has seven assists compared to his compatriot’s three.

The Palace man has struck 20 shots on target with Mount on 22, but the former comes out on top for chances created (41 to Mount’s 39) and take-ons completed (35 to Mount’s 10).

It is the more defensive side where Gallagher really dominates, attempting far more tackles (70) compared to Mount (29) as well as possessions won (172 to Mount’s 72).

But that is to be expected, with Mount often featuring among Chelsea’s front three as opposed to Gallagher’s deeper, box-to-box role at Selhurst Park.

Blues brothers

All the numbers suggest that there is a high chance of the dynamic duo playing alongside each other for both England and Chelsea.

Mount was listed as a midfielder in the official squad announcement last week but has found himself competing with Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and other attackers rather than the deeper players, who Gallagher is more likely to be up against.

Southgate has alternated between 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations in England's World Cup qualifiers, with Mount featuring in eight of the 10 games.

The 4-3-3, which Vieira deploys at Palace, appears the most natural way in which Gallagher could come into the team. 

But Southgate has generally favoured the other two formations in the bigger games — allowing him to line up with two holding midfielders.

Physical duo Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips are the England boss' go-to men in that area but with the Leeds man out of the squad through injury, there is a way in for Gallagher in that position.

The selection of Jude Bellingham in that role during Rice’s absence in the last international break will give Gallagher further hope he can feature there — though he will have to hold off competition from the Borussia Dortmund teenager for that role.

Gallagher is not short of motivation to impress in a midfield two, with Tuchel more often than not setting up that way.

If Gallagher and Mount can star together in England’s team over the next two friendlies, the Blues boss will already be licking his lips at the prospect of next season's partnership.