[Ekeke]

Bolded is the example of the overhype. How many games has he consistently shown those abilities?

How many games last season can you say he ran/controlled? Nice looking short passes is not dictating play.

Correct. Thats something he does not do currently. He's capable of a nice bit of skill, a dribble, or a nice pass but he also takes a risk that sometimes doesnt pay off when he goes for a dribble. Lots of dribbles completed, but a few times he will be tackled as well.

80% of the time he takes some decent touches plays the ball simply and is content to just wait till someone else decides hes the right pass and finding him. He isnt by any means a playmaker or someone we're looking to get on the ball a lot, nor is he working hard to make it happen himself.

We're happy for our CBs to have the ball and for him to stick in midfield where hes marked out of contention for a pass with the CBs usually playing it wide and building up through the fullbacks and wingers. It also helps them that are opponents know we dont deal very well with being pressed and building up from the back so if you're an attacking player you're going to be even more up for pressing and pinching the ball knowing its likely to happen against us.

Someone like Matic in the past worked far harder at getting on the ball and being involved. Now our CBs are doing it and our central midfield sees less of the ball

 

[TheBigLewandowski]

Bolded is the example of the overhype. How many games has he consistently shown those abilities?

How many games last season can you say he ran/controlled? Nice looking short passes is not dictating play.

It's not that he has consistently shown this, the guy is 18.

I said he has the ability.

He has played as the single CDM next to bloody Eriksen to put some context on his ability.

For me, he isn't a deep lying playmaker but he is like our home grown version of Frenkie De Jong - funnily enough a player that I think is also overhyped as he hasn't really achieved anything.

He is a hybrid 6/8 that can dribble out of tight spaces or use his short passing to beat an opposition press which usually free's up some space for the attack to keep rolling on or he makes a pass back to the Defenders because he has scanned and analysed that he can't beat the opposition and therefore helps retain possesion.

That's what I mean that he can dictate our play where he is has the ability to dictate the tempo of our game due to his ability to beat a press or make a pass that is more often than not the right pass to do at the right time.

Thats why he was ultimately picked for England because next to Rice, the manager wanted someone who can keep the ball rolling and make the right pass at the right time. Whether that's to his fullback, CB, his CDM partner or his CAM - its more often than not his ability to make the right pass at the right time & keep the ball within the hub of the team to the teams benefit.

Not that he is a deep lying playmaker like Pirlo or Carrick or a Scholes dictating our play with his long balls and controlling the game.

 

[Desert Eagle]

Classy post from a classy player. Hope the new manager puts him in a position to excel.

 

[FootyGirl88]

 

[RedRocket9908]

He got 3rd place

 

[jem]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

 

[flameinthesun]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

How does his social media activities compare to his peers i.e. Yamal, Palmer etc. Does he do more, equal, less?

 

[ForeverRed1]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

I can’t wait for a youngster to come through and not give a flying feck about anything other than the football. It’s what makes Rodri so unique I guess, no social media.

I think I’m asking for too much

 

[OverratedOpinion]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

To be fair if you consider that he will deal with a lot of abuse and other negative aspects from being so highly promoted. He may as well get something out of it.

I also doubt he's actively demanding sponsorships. They will just be contacting him and he says yes.

 

[jem]

To be fair if you consider that he will deal with a lot of abuse and other negative aspects from being so highly promoted. He may as well get something out of it.

I also doubt he's actively demanding sponsorships. They will just be contacting him and he says yes.

Yeah you're probably right, and to be fair, Kobbie seems like a very grounded lad. As I said, I think I'm overly-pessimistic given what has happened over the last 12 years. If we were winning consistently, I likely wouldn't care.

 

[jem]

I can’t wait for a youngster to come through and not give a flying feck about anything other than the football. It’s what makes Rodri so unique I guess, no social media.

I think I’m asking for too much

It's something I loved about Kawhi Leonard when he spent one year here with the Raptors - no social media; just a laser-eyed focus on winning.

 

[jem]

How does his social media activities compare to his peers i.e. Yamal, Palmer etc. Does he do more, equal, less?

I'd certainly be interested in knowing more about that.

 

[LeonDion]

Looking forward to seeing Kobbie back playing again. I shake my head when I read comments that are critical of a player who at 18 has been so good for us. Does he have room to develop? Yes of course. Every young player since Rooney has needed to improve at 18. I’d say nearly all young players bar Rooney have developed from being 18.

 

[jem]

How does his social media activities compare to his peers i.e. Yamal, Palmer etc. Does he do more, equal, less?

Just did the most cursory of glances at the IG pages of other young stars (Yamal, Barcola, Palmer, Bellingham, Saka, Zaire Emery.) As expected, Palmer's is pretty perfunctory as is Yamal's (somewhat surprisingly.) Bellingham's is a virtual carnival of brand partnerships, links to his Youtube, etc. I do realize the danger of reading too much into these things, but it is kind of interesting to note.

 

[AjaxCunian]

Wonder how he'll do under the new manager. Think our midfield has looked better without him so far.

Casemiro and Eriksen are in form, Ugarte also seems to be picking up. He will have to fight his way back into the team, exactly how it should be at United.

 

[dubplate warrior]

I still find it amazing that people watch this guy and think he is a central midfielder. He's going to be an important player for Amorin but it's going to be much further up the pitch where he can link play and drop into pockets.

He's not a powerful runner, nor does he have an engine or have a range of passing. However, is very, very talented on the ball and will make us so much more dangerous up top.

 

[AjaxCunian]

I still find it amazing that people watch this guy and think he is a central midfielder. He's going to be an important player for Amorin but it's going to be much further up the pitch where he can link play and drop into pockets.

He's not a powerful runner, nor does he have an engine or have a range of passing. However, is very, very talented on the ball and will make us so much more dangerous up top.

The guy has less than 2 assists for us so far, his creative stats are really poor. His interception, tackles, duel win percentage, press resistance, link up in tight spaces and dribbling seem like his biggest strenghts now. Which makes sense as to why he's also played in midfield, though he misses a lot of other qualities as well.

Can't see him as a 10 now, far too little end product and attacking intent.

 

[P-Nut]

Amorims CMs seem to play very high anyway and play quickly once the ball is won back. I think he could thrive doing just that as his dribbling takes opponents out of the game.

 

[BuzzKillington]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

I kind of share your sentiments, but then also these lads do have a lot of spare time on their hands.

I used to go for lunch in Hale and you’d see a lot of the players at that kind of time rolling into the cafes, presumably done for the day. They can go home and play PlayStation, or do other things that make them money. I can see why they do it and I can’t see any reason why one would be better than the other.

 

[ForeverRed1]

It's something I loved about Kawhi Leonard when he spent one year here with the Raptors - no social media; just a laser-eyed focus on winning.

Very rare these days indeed.

 

[dubplate warrior]

The guy has less than 2 assists for us so far, his creative stats are really poor. His interception, tackles, duel win percentage, press resistance, link up in tight spaces and dribbling seem like his biggest strenghts now. Which makes sense as to why he's also played in midfield, though he misses a lot of other qualities as well.

Can't see him as a 10 now, far too little end product and attacking intent.

He has been playing as a first phase midfielder for most of him time in the first team. Ruben plays with two inverted 10s. It suits him to a tee.

 

[dubplate warrior]

I'm very aware that this is going to put me in the 'old man yells at cloud' category (and I do really like what I've seen of Kobbie, both as player and person), but can't help but find it annoying that his Instagram stories these days seem to typically involve him promoting some brand/doing some freestyling advert. Yes, I know he's more than entitled to maximize his brand potential, but at the end of the day, he really hasn't achieved much yet (if we're being objective about it, he hasn't really surpassed Januzaj yet, in that respect.) I'm probably being overly-paranoid (that's what the last 12, Lingard/Pogba/Rashford/Henderson-infused years have done to me), but I really hope he keeps his feet on the ground and takes the next step.

He could have one injury and never play again. Make that money.

 

[Gordon S]

Yeah you're probably right, and to be fair, Kobbie seems like a very grounded lad. As I said, I think I'm overly-pessimistic given what has happened over the last 12 years. If we were winning consistently, I likely wouldn't care.

This is it right there. Lots of good players have been very active with pushing their brands.
When your team underperforms like ours have for so long you start seeing ghosts everywhere.

 

[Cantonagotmehere]

Any update on his fitness? Can't wait to see what he can learn from Amorim.

 

[Rozay]

Has an enormous fight on his hands to get back into the XI.

 

[GledTheRed]

Has an enormous fight on his hands to get back into the XI.

So he should.

 

[Solius]

Has an enormous fight on his hands to get back into the XI.

Been under par this season anyway so some competition and rotation will be good for him.

 

[Foolsgold21]

Been under par this season anyway so some competition and rotation will be good for him.

Yep - not been quite at it in what was in hindsight a thankless task given the system.

Now playing in an actual midfield, and hopefully not overplayed, we should see the best of him again.

The injury was inevitable given he only made his debut a year ago and has pretty much played non stop in that time - over 50 games for club and country.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Has an enormous fight on his hands to get back into the XI.

Doubt it. I’m not fooled by Casemiro’s recent displays. He’s still way past it and Ugarte is a newbie in English football. We need Mainoo back.

 

[Top_Bins]

Has an enormous fight on his hands to get back into the XI.

Amorim plays a box to box next to the defensive mid, so we'll need his energy where Casemiro can play his part too but won't be as mobile.

 

[Rozay]

Doubt it. I’m not fooled by Casemiro’s recent displays. He’s still way past it and Ugarte is a newbie in English football. We need Mainoo back.

We need Mainoo back in the squad, but we obviously don’t need him back in the team presently. Those playing his position have performed well, and we’ve gotten results.

And Casemiro’s displays are literally all you have. You see him for 90 mins a week. If he is playing well, then that’s what he’s doing. If he is showing that he can still perform by still performing, where would the notion that he cannot still perform come from? These are the games, there are no alternate universe games that he should be judged on, so if you say he can still perform based on him actually performing, I wouldn’t say you have been fooled.

I’m also not sure of the significance of Ugarte being new to English football. Can you elaborate on that point so that it has meaning?

Mainoo is quality, and it would be great to have more quality options available of course. But there is no obvious player in the XI that we’re waiting for him to come back and replace right now, based on how the team has performed in the games he has missed.

 

[Rozay]

Amorim plays a box to box next to the defensive mid, so we'll need his energy where Casemiro can play his part too but won't be as mobile.

Mainoo doesn’t have superior mobility to Casemiro, and Casemiro can play box to box just fine. I’d back him presently to outscore and out-create Mainoo from a CM position over a season, in addition to a good defensive contribution.

Mainoo is the best CM we have at linking play I think, and also ball-carrying. In my personal ideal world, I’d like to see him playing with Casemiro and Ugarte in a trio. In a double-pivot, I have long voiced concerns about his ability against the ball. He has very low running power, and frankly, if Amorim is to simply replicate his Sporting set up here, I don’t see a natural fit for him. I wouldn’t say he’s a player to play in a hard running two-man midfield screen, and while I have always seen him as a more advanced midfielder, I’m not sure he’s a ‘just off the striker’ player either. I think an advanced CM role is what suits him best, but in the deeper two, I think he may struggle to keep up a bit. At least for now, perhaps as he gets older he will become a better runner.

 

[romufc]

Mainoo doesn’t have superior mobility to Casemiro, and Casemiro can play box to box just fine. I’d back him presently to outscore and out-create Mainoo from a CM position over a season, in addition to a good defensive contribution.

Mainoo is the best CM we have at linking play I think, and also ball-carrying. In my personal ideal world, I’d like to see him playing with Casemiro and Ugarte in a trio. In a double-pivot, I have long voiced concerns about his ability against the ball. He has very low running power, and frankly, if Amorim is to simply replicate his Sporting set up here, I don’t see a natural fit for him. I wouldn’t say he’s a player to play in a hard running two-man midfield screen, and while I have always seen him as a more advanced midfielder, I’m not sure he’s a ‘just off the striker’ player either. I think an advanced CM role is what suits him best, but in the deeper two, I think he may struggle to keep up a bit. At least for now, perhaps as he gets older he will become a better runner.

Yep, because he is one of our own and that, we ignore some elements.

He needs to improve his athleticism if he wants to play in the 8 role, I dont think he will play there under Amorim because of the points you mentioned. he does not have the running power to be able to play it.

At the moment, I can only see him getting in one of the 2 10's.

 

[DJ_21]

Yep, because he is one of our own and that, we ignore some elements.

He needs to improve his athleticism if he wants to play in the 8 role, I dont think he will play there under Amorim because of the points you mentioned. he does not have the running power to be able to play it.

At the moment, I can only see him getting in one of the 2 10's.

Bruno secures one of the 10s. I think Amorim is going to be a fan of Mounts of the ball qualities so can see him getting game time. The question is where’s he playing Rashford/Garnacho/Amad. Amad can play as one of the 10s but isn’t good for the other 2.

 

[romufc]

Bruno secures one of the 10s. I think Amorim is going to be a fan of Mounts of the ball qualities so can see him getting game time. The question is where’s he playing Rashford/Garnacho/Amad. Amad can play as one of the 10s but isn’t good for the other 2.

And Kobbie, I can't see him getting into the side either unless he really improves his off the ball game.

Garnacho, I can only see him playing LWB or being sold.

Rashford, I cannot see him playing anywhere but being a rotation option upfront? He doesn't have the technical ability to play in the 10, nor the guile. He doesn't have the discipline or application to play wing back.. most likely loser in the Amorim formation.

Amad, I can see rotating in the 10 and maybe playing RWB when we are chasing a game?

 

[amolbhatia50k]

We need Mainoo back in the squad, but we obviously don’t need him back in the team presently. Those playing his position have performed well, and we’ve gotten results.

And Casemiro’s displays are literally all you have. You see him for 90 mins a week. If he is playing well, then that’s what he’s doing. If he is showing that he can still perform by still performing, where would the notion that he cannot still perform come from? These are the games, there are no alternate universe games that he should be judged on, so if you say he can still perform based on him actually performing, I wouldn’t say you have been fooled.

I’m also not sure of the significance of Ugarte being new to English football. Can you elaborate on that point so that it has meaning?

Mainoo is quality, and it would be great to have more quality options available of course. But there is no obvious player in the XI that we’re waiting for him to come back and replace right now, based on how the team has performed in the games he has missed.

This is a hilariously weird way to frame things. Casemiro has performed in a few games against poor opposition where we’ve clearly had a new manager bounce. I personally don’t see him performing beyond decent for the rest of the season once the dust settles and we face stiffer tests. There’s no need for an alternate reality - we have the one where he’s been hapless for the last year. Glad he’s an improved a bit but I’m hoping to see Mainoo start ahead of him soon.

Players who are new to English football are often not locked in as key starters. I’d be happy to see him play so well to make that the case but it’s usually not. So again, I wouldn’t wait a bit before expecting him to perform every week as he did vs Leicester.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Yep, because he is one of our own and that, we ignore some elements.

He needs to improve his athleticism if he wants to play in the 8 role, I dont think he will play there under Amorim because of the points you mentioned. he does not have the running power to be able to play it.

At the moment, I can only see him getting in one of the 2 10's.

this is where he should be playing anyway, he's not really a CM.

If you think of his skillset and what he's good at, putting him in CM is a bit of a waste - he will be a great AM for us, someone to link play, keep the ball, dribble at defenders all without being super fast or strong. I think he'll end up being not too dissimilar in profile to Mount in that same role, albeit with a much higher ceiling in my opinion.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I don't know where this weird narrative that Mainoo isn't physical enough at the moment came from but it needs to end. When he was fit he was winning more duels and challenges than anyone else in our team, at an insane success rate. And he's clearly more mobile than Casemiro, even if that's not saying much considering neither are fleet of foot.

His main issue is moreso his distribution and creativity isn't very good right now, especially from deeper areas. He's only 19 so he'll pretty obviously gain a bit more athleticism as well but I'm more focused on those other two aspects of his game.

 

[caid]

I wouldn't say the Casemiro, Ugarte midfield was especially inspiring in terms of getting forwards on the ball. I think we'll want eriksen or mainoo back in the team sooner or later. Particularly when at first glance our wing backs aren't the most attack minded.
Casemiro, Ugarte made sense to reset and bring solidity back to the team (not like we had a choice i guess). I'd be a bit surprised if it was our baseline midfield

 

[Raven]

I don't know where this weird narrative that Mainoo isn't physical enough at the moment came from but it needs to end. When he was fit he was winning more duels and challenges than anyone else in our team, at an insane success rate. And he's clearly more mobile than Casemiro, even if that's not saying much considering neither are fleet of foot.

His main issue is moreso his distribution and creativity isn't very good right now, especially from deeper areas. He's only 19 so he'll pretty obviously gain a bit more athleticism as well but I'm more focused on those other two aspects of his game.

I almost got an aneurysm reading these comments. Where is this narrative coming from?