The appointment of Frank Lampard, the Chelsea legend as the new head coach of the club has seen so many positives these past few months. The ongoing pre-season has seen quite a few players who were a shadow of themselves last season has begun to shine and showcase their true abilities and has raised a lot of talking points.

It is already clear that Chelsea won’t be signing any player until the transfer ban is over which has forced Chelsea to rely on their academy talents this season. This has seen the likes of Mason Mount recalled from his loan spell at Derby County and also signing a new long term contract at the club.

Like I said previously, the ongoing pre-season campaign have seen certain players catch the eyes of many due to their top-level performances in the games so far. Ross Barkley who was heavily criticized by the Chelsea fans last season due to most of his below-par performances shown last season has been one of the top performers for Chelsea this pre-season and is beginning to show the qualities he showed during his time at Everton. Mason Mount is another player who has performed really well this pre-season. He was one of Frank Lampard’s key players for Derby County last season, so it is no surprise why Mason Mount is heavily involved in this current Chelsea team and has played a huge part for Chelsea this pre-season

Both Barkley and Mount are two players who play in similar positions and have played in almost identical positions under Frank Lampard this pre-season. Both players have scored goals so far in the games they’ve played, the most recent was the 4-3 win against Reading which saw Ross Barkley score a worldie freekick that drew Chelsea level and also two goals from Mason Mount that secured the win for Chelsea. These two players has caught the eyes of most of the Chelsea fans including the manager due to their performances so far in this ongoing pre-season. This has raised a lot of talking points about who should be the first choice. We all know that even though this is a big headache for the manager to make the correct decisions, it is actually a very good problem to have as a manager as he knows that he has players who are good enough to engage in a healthy battle for a spot in the first team. However, this could also make players unhappy if after the hard work on the training ground, the manager still doesn’t pick them during matches. Nevertheless, from the look of things, Lampard would be giving these players fair shares of game time if they prove to him that they deserve to be picked as first choice.

So for me, I think it is great to see Ross Barkley getting back to his best and also to see young players like Mason Mount showcasing their qualities especially coming in as a Chelsea academy player. This kind of competition can be good for the team and for both players as well, as they will be forced to give above 100% each time they are giving the opportunity to show what they got.

Although a lot of talking points are currently going on concerning who will be the first choice between Ross Barkley and Mason Mount, Frank Lampard has also shown his flexibility as a manager and can utilize both players in the same starting 11 when he decides to use a different formation like the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, like he has done in most of their pre-season games so far.

What do you think of these two players and who do you think should be the first choice?

I would love to read your thoughts and opinions… Enjoy your day.