Must be half decent if he has foreign commentators creaming themselves on air
"Mainoo PlayStation"
Is Mainoo the real deal?
- Thread starter Samid
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"Mainoo PlayStation"
We gotta build the team around him.
Best 18 year old midfielder I've seen, by a mile. Let's see if he can live up to his promise but it looks like he will.
Oh okay, you’re going to double down on it. Where were these other two players that he was supposedly doing the job of?
Well said.
He's a player that should be racking up 70-80 passes regularly in matches. No reason he shouldn't be our main focal point in midfield, but we need to actually want to keep the ball more. He's playing very well, but I don't think he is someone who benefits neither offensively or defensively much from the chaos football with heavy transition emphasis that we currently play.
Can't think of a better midfield partner for him than Rice. Southgate would be crazy to not at least have him in the squad. I get not trusting an 18 year old starting matches, but if you need help gaining control of a game, there is no midfielder available with his quality in the England set up.
You've literally just named 2 random players from the last 15 years that were stocky to begin with, what the feck do they have to do with Mainoo
I still don't know if he needs a Thuram next to him or a Zubimendi. I don't know if he's a 6 or an 8...Maybe that's a good thing but I do know that I haven't been this excited about a midfielder from out academy since Ravel and that was ages ago.
What he's good at can't be taught...Everything else from positioning to physicality will come but the way he moves with the ball and his composure are God given...
What he's good at can't be taught...Everything else from positioning to physicality will come but the way he moves with the ball and his composure are God given...
Filthy good
Absolutely amazing today. What a talent this lad is.
He isn’t physically capable of that yet as well as the issues with the team. Both things will hopefully be fixed
He still needs to add more range to his passing. He excels in tight spaces with bodies close but he often just doesn't make a big pass or switch when he's given time - often just dallying and then passing back to the CB.
He's made some great long through balls this season mate. Don't mind him keeping it simple for the most part at this stage.
You've literally just named 2 random players from the last 15 years that were stocky to begin with, what the feck do they have to do with Mainoo
I'm more curious why he thinks Mainoo getting Valencia's physique would be bad. Man was strong like a tank while being absolutely rapid
And his crosses couldn't have hit a tank.
Probably a good thing Mainoo isn't getting called up. He's putting up a lot of minutes for his age which always makes me nervous from a long term perspective. Last thing we want is another Pedri situation on our hands where he was made play every minute for club and country in his breakout seasons and now seems to be a perma-crock. As good as he is, you'd probably be happier if he was a less crucial part of our midfield so early in his development. Love this guy so much - I really hope we don't flog him to death.
I think this will come with experience. Teenagers usually play within themselves a little due to nerves or fear of making mistakes but we've definitely seen glimpses that he has the ability to make those more difficult longer passes.
Also, he's 18 so despite his talent, he's still the rookie in that midfield and so he probably doesn't have the entitlement or gravitas within the team environment to demand the ball enough to start racking up those high passing volume games. As he gains seniority, we should start seeing those volume stats like progressive passes and carries improve.
Agreed. And his ability to beat a man or two in the middle of the park is also a brilliant way of taking players out of the game, just as bypassing players with accurate long passing can be. I'm sure he has it in his locker but like you I have no issues with him keeping it simple at the mo.
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The more I see the more excited I get.
Still think we need 2 CMs in the summer (one holding, one box to box) but Mainoo for me is a starter who due to his age just needs his minutes managed now.
His quality is evident.
Still think we need 2 CMs in the summer (one holding, one box to box) but Mainoo for me is a starter who due to his age just needs his minutes managed now.
His quality is evident.
What a player! Love that he plays for us.
Promoted to the National Side’s first team! Congrats Kobe! I’ve been telling ya, he’s on that plane to Germany this summer..
Agreed. For him to continue his growth, I think that's the next step. Hopefully the next manager/an amended system fixes this.
I fecking hate Mainoo. As a Scot I don't like having a reason to cheer on England, and now this selfish cnut has given me one.
It seems like he can do anything in midfield but we don't want him to become a jack of all trades type guy. The first step is to decide what his best position is and set him up for development in that role. I think he's a more of what the Spanish call an "interior midfielder" (Iniesta, Bernardo Silva, Gavi etc.) and not a deep lying playmaker.
If that's true, I don't think he really needs to rack up the pass count. If we see him as a deeper playmaker (Jorginho mould) then yes he absolutely must get on the ball more and dictate the game.
Well he's made the squad, great achievement. Much better than spending summer with the U-21's.
He's got that Mousa Dembélé level of press resistance.
It still early days, but he does have the potential to become a well rounded #8 if he keeps his head and continues to develop.
It still early days, but he does have the potential to become a well rounded #8 if he keeps his head and continues to develop.
You've literally just named 2 random players from the last 15 years that were stocky to begin with, what the feck do they have to do with Mainoo
Yeah ok.
Valencia was a slimmer agile player and I think he lost his edge when he bulked up. There's also been reports over the years of players doing that. Shaw yes naturally stocky but there's a fine line between being at your optimum, he has varied a lot in size and I think it's been his detriment, could even be carrying extra weight impact his joints and causes more injuries and slower returns, he's stocky but has some weight issues that has lapsed at the club.
Lukaku became overweight here, had diet issues spotted buy Inter, or maybe just that as well as being more stricter on players diets and training. I wouldn't say our club has been good with training and diets in general and that is something Ineos wants to address, they have stated this, but laugh all you want. Bastian came here and become overweight as well.
All I'm saying is there's a type of fitness required to have the best suitable strength, stamina and maintain agility and skill. I expect all players to be handled better going forward.
you had me in the first half
Pure filth.
I'm sorry what??
Dembele is the most press resistant midfielder I've ever seen on the football pitch. He may not have been world class in other aspects of play but his ability to just casually glide past any sort of press is second to none I've witnessed. If Mainoo had that level of press resistance he'd be generational! Hell! Half that level at 18 would incredible.
Would say the first step is getting players of his level in and around him in midfield so that he can fully express himself without any limitation or concern that his partner(s) don't have the competence to keep up. If he has players who can ping the ball back to him or receive it as effortlessly as he does, he'll naturally show leanings towards certain areas of the pitch and preferences in what he opts to do, and if he doesn't, that in itself will tell us he's an eclectic midfielder who going to end up an #8 where freedom of movement and expression are higher than the more disciplined #6 and #10 where you are there to do a specialist job first and foremost.
Two or three 'Mainoo's' in midfield, and our ball possession stats will quickly elevate to top percentile in the league. At this moment in time, all eyes should be on what he looks like for England with Rice and Bellingham, as on paper, that's a perfect midfield unit. We're not going to go out and spend £200m+ on that pair, but we'll get truer insights into Mainoo's game if he can focus solely on himself and not catering to those less able than himself.
The boy passes into areas were other players are scared to.. this is a breath of fresh air, the ability on the ball is all there to see, he will grow will get stronger then he will be even better.. don't forget he's 18... to get a full 90 of quality is a ask, that will come with age and game time..
For me along with Dalot Garnacho And of late Bruno , regular first 11..
For me along with Dalot Garnacho And of late Bruno , regular first 11..
I didn't see the England v Brazil game but the Guardian's Barney Ronay wrote: " Kobbie Mainoo got 15 minutes and took about 90 seconds to look so much smoother, more comfortable, better on the half-turn, less in the way of chest-puffed Three-Lions mania. He’s just so young. He’s also just very good at this."
Baby Seedorf with a touch of Kante
That’s just nonsense. Have u never seen Xavi and Iniesta? Because those two are the benchmarks especially Xavi. Moussa dembele was world class at pressing don’t get me wrong but he was no Xavi.
My main issue with Mainoo right now is his lack of intensity in possession when he doesn't have the ball. Paul Scholes ran the hardest he ever did in the 2-3 seconds after he'd just passed the ball to someone else, Mainoo lack's that little bit of urgency off the ball.
I'm sure it will come, but he'll need to do that to dictate games in the way he's clearly capable of.
I'm sure it will come, but he'll need to do that to dictate games in the way he's clearly capable of.
ha ha, the cult of Dembele.
All it took was an Athletic article.
Won one Dutch title in his entire career this bloke yet you’d think he was prime Iniesta.
I think he was incredibly overrated purely because he was so press resistant and good at dribbling as a midfielder. Everything else was decent to good, but he was absolutely fantastic with the ball at his feet in tight spaces and people tend to overrate players more if that’s their best trait.
We have Bernardo in the league, winning titles every season, a treble last year, you can’t get the ball off the fecker…
But hey, he’s no Moussa Dembele.