When Mason Mount walked back down the tunnel just before half-time against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final, there would have been some fearing for the worst.
The 23-year-old has been a consistent presence for Chelsea in a rather inconsistent forward line, be it through his starts or his performances this season.
Thomas Tuchel spoke shortly after the game to confirm that the England international is set for two weeks out due to an ankle injury, making him a doubt for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Whilst his absence is a huge blow to the Blues, there are options at the German head coach’s disposal.
Amongst those options are Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose creative statistics make for favourable reading.
Both players rank inside the top ten for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, which means they make a lot of chances that result in shots for others within the team.
Hudson-Odoi ranks fourth in the Premier League, though it is worth noting that both he and Ziyech have a smaller sample size as they have played slightly fewer 90s than others around them.
The 21-year-old, per FBRef, has 4.77 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, only ranking behind Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
What is equally impressive about this stat, is the fact he doesn’t take set-pieces as it can inflate the number compared to someone who does take them, such as Alexander-Arnold, who averages 1.8 shot-creating actions from set-pieces alone.
The majority of Hudson-Odoi’s chance creation comes from his passing, with 3.46 of his actions coming from in-play.
The young winger also ranks highly in dribbles resulting in shots, with 0.65 per 90 putting him only behind Adama Traore and Allan Saint-Maximin for players with over ten 90s this season.
It vindicates a decision from Tuchel to keep him at the club, amid uncertainty over his future last summer.
Speaking in November, the Chelsea boss was full of praise and said: “We didn’t let him leave [in the summer because] we built the squad and Callum was a piece of the puzzle.
“He thought it might be tough to get minutes and that it might be easier at another club. But you can never be sure that it’s like this.
“I told him straight when he asked that it was not possible. We rely on him and we rely on him to accept his role. There is still huge progress he can make within this group and club.”
Then there’s Hakim Ziyech, who appears to be finding his best form since wearing the blue jersey.
The Moroccan international ranks sixth for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes with 4.58, with the majority coming from in-play passes. However, he has also created from dribbles, with 0.46 per 90, as well as fouls drawn and shots, 0.23 per 90 each.
Ziyech’s three goals and two assists this season have come in pivotal matches this season, perhaps showing that the next few matches are right for him.
This is all without mentioning the fact that Chelsea have Kai Havertz, who scored the all-important penalty against Palmeiras last Saturday, and Christian Pulisic, who replaced Mount in that game.
Either way, Tuchel has options. Mount may be a key figure, but his short absence isn’t the end of the world for the Champions of the world.
