England star Mason Mount has revealed his determination to stop his Chelsea team-mate Jorginho, who is Italy’s linchpin, as the Three Lions plot to neutralize the Azzurri star from dominating the midfield in the Euro 2020 final.
And one of the Chelsea duo will become only the tenth player to win the Champions League and Euros in the same season.
Mount said: “I know a lot more about him than some of the other boys who are in the group, so I can give a few tips about what he’s strong at.”
The Englishman is Chelsea’s player of the year after a season in which they won the Champions League and is as important to club and country as Jorginho, if not more.
Mount said: “He’s a prankster. I get on very well with him.
“I’ve been with him for two seasons and he’s a very nice guy and someone I spend a lot of time with.
“But I’m going to be playing against him and we’re not team-mates any more.
“I appreciate him a lot. He’s very good on the ball and gets the team ticking.
“I know a lot more about him than some of the other boys who are in the group, so I can give a few tips about what he’s strong at.”
Assuming Mount retains his place and position for Sunday’s final, an important part of his job will be to disrupt Jorginho’s ability to receive and distribute the ball.
Mount said: “To have this chance after winning the Champions League, it’s such a special opportunity, one that rarely comes around.
“I’m not really looking into it too much. It’s just focusing on the game and what happens happens.”
Unlike most of his England team-mates, Mount knows what it is like to be crowned European champions with his country as well.
Mount’s experience of winning this year’s Champions League, after the pain of losing successive FA Cup finals with Chelsea, will be vital.
He added: “To have that win under my belt in a final, in a big game, I think it really helps going into a final now and going into a tournament especially.
“But a lot of the boys are very experienced players that have been in the big games and know how to handle it.
“The last game we played was probably the biggest game of our lives and now it’s even bigger.
“You see the run Italy have been on, it is 30-something games unbeaten.
“You know how strong they are from the back, two centre-backs who are warriors, and throughout the team you see how passionate they are, so they are like a machine.
“For us, what we have been doing, going into every game fearless, having that desire to want to win, that young hungriness that we have, we have to bring it all and be at the top of our game and at the top level to win the game. It’s going to be a battle.”
The battle between Chelsea’s Mount and Jorginho could be key to who lifts the trophy come Sunday evening.