Why Kobbie Mainoo Should Start For England.

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James Allcott content focuses on Premier League, Champions League, EFL Championship talking about Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham, Barcelona, England, Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp, Erik Ten Hag, Mikel Arteta, transfer news, tactical analysis and much more. James has made content with Mark Goldbridge from the United Stand, Rory Jennings, Ben Foster, Spencer FC, The Club, Thogden, JaackMaate, ESPN and many more.
#PremierLeague #JLA #football

[@KT-ki6gz]

Obviously his smooth dribbling and tidy passing are great but it's always his calmness and football IQ that blow me away considering he's still just 19

[@Dean-vn8tn]

And having rice to sweep up is good cause defencesively he's not that good

[@erwanntowa7832]

@@Dean-vn8tnhe actually is pretty quality defensively he just pushes up far cuz he does so much offensively that at times the team may be hurt cuz he’s not back when they lose it but in 1v1 duels he’s honestly superb

[@Dean-vn8tn]

@erwanntowa7832 he's not bad defencesively but not to the level of a partey or rice and having rice there when he attacks is good is what I mean

[@globalfrank9557]

Why in the world would Southgate experiment with Trent in the midfield when he had Mainoo sat on the bench? Play the lad who was player of the match in the cup final, running the middle of the park against the likes of Rodri and De Bruyne.

[@benlane7282]

Especially after he smashed it for England in the friendly he started, why bother starting him just to not plan on using his abilities

[@appie2901]

Can we stop please. Mainoo is an amazing talent and will be one of Engeland’s best players in no-time. But he didn’t play KdB and Rodri* off the park. That’s the problem with English football fans. Hyping up players after singular performances. It creates expectation that basically no-one is able to meet.

[@cam5556]

@@appie2901KdB *AND* De Bruyne

[@globalfrank9557]

@appie2901 I'm using the FA Cup final as an example, there are plenty of others that could be used from his performances this season. It's not over hype, it's justified anticipation.

[@loonmanding8628]

spot on, Mainoo and Cole changed the game , they definitely start against slovakia , even Gordon offered something different when he came on

[@davkarimz]

Saka starts

[@loonmanding8628]

@@davkarimz at left back

[@neil4692]

Should he start? Absolutely. Will Gareth start him? Probably not.

[@jtfc7286]

I don’t know - I think Foden being out means he basically has to. Before I think he could have dropped Bellingham deeper and played Foden as a 10 but that’s not a possibility now

[@MultiBurger1]

​@@jtfc7286 Foden, should be back in time. Belli needs a rest Put Foden as no.10 , imo

[@MultiBurger1]

​@@jtfc7286 If Jude, somehow, is much less tired by sunday, yeah, it would be good to have him with Declan

[@TheAnonymousMango]

@@jtfc7286Foden isn’t out, he’s already back in Germany and will have one training session with the team prior to the game.

[@Tim_Drekalovic]

The team that should be playing for England only played 5 minutes together and created more than England have created in 3 whole games

[@Dwayndibb]

It still won't matter with Southgate in charge. Rahman you are all mad

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

That team also lost to Iceland

[@Tim_Drekalovic]

@@user-ed7et3pb4o They conceded because of poor goalkeeping and created 3 times more than in all 3 Euros games combined, and it was a friendly

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@Tim_Drekalovic still couldn’t actually score though, and there was poor defending too. I agree with the overall principle though, but I’m not convinced that team could last a full 90 or that they’re better as starters rather than finishers. Imo we’re probably better off wearing opposition down in the first half and not conceding, then hitting them with our best attack in the second half. Might overcome the ‘score early and concede the equaliser’ curse.

[@Tim_Drekalovic]

@@user-ed7et3pb4o I'm just saying if he used that team at least for 10 minutes every game and maybe started with it against Slovenia he and everyone else would have a better idea of whether that 5 minutes was just a coincidence or if it actually works

[@gluestix17]

disappointed it took yourself and southgate so long to figure it out. Kobbie is the truth 🫡🫡🫡

[@MihirPlays]

Honestly, the biggest upset is southgate, only reason why Gallagher is even playing is because of Cole Palmer - Shocking how he isn't starting... KOBBIE TO THE MOON though (my star boy)

[@jtfc7286]

I think Southgate is gonna stumble across something (and this is not a compliment to him) because Foden won’t be available on Sunday, meaning he’s gonna have to play Gordon on the left and probably Kobbie in midfield. I think we’ll have a lot more pace on the left and look a lot more balanced when we do.

[@ffbear8078]

Ikr that final play where gordon found that perfect pass to mainoo which led to the Palmer shot was one of the best attacks we put together all tournament

[@helloitsme_omer]

Foden is available sunday

[@catcocaine9698]

Practicing my bot impression: The camaraderie and support here are a source of strength and inspiration ❤️🍿

[@user-zc2sz1os3j]

😂

[@jackdimambro484]

*cough cough* *deep breath* Am I ugly?

[@elingrome5853]

I have to take ur pants off first

[@CIMAmotor]

Your thumbnail needs to be a bird's arse or fanny.

[@freddyainsworth1167]

He also skips the extra pass which is great when walker ran it off he got the time because he went straight out wide instead of going to the cdm or cb before going to walker

[@mitchellbrough1615]

He has the ability to play it forward through a press with short passes in a deeper position, unfortunately not enough of the squad can do that

[@KhanCarnivore]

His movement is very evanescence

[@19th_sam17]

WAKE ME UP INSIDE

[@KhanCarnivore]

@@19th_sam17 🤣🤣 the boys could do with listening to that before going out

[@nate_the_mate6715]

I remember when Southgate chose the Euro squad, he was praised for being ruthless and thinking outside the box. Shame it didn't last long

[@jtfc7286]

It was never gonna be that way though - that’s why I didn’t understand all the fanfare at the time. Despite the squad we knew basically what XI he was gonna pick.

[@nate_the_mate6715]

@@jtfc7286 yeah exactly. I knew it was bad news when he didn't select Branthwaite

[@err4071]

Considering foden hasn't been played in his correct position, at least foden leaving and going back to England for family matters will force southgate to start Gordon on the left. As long as Gordon has a great game and effect the game in a positive way with perhaps a assist or something like that, he could hold onto that position solving 1 problem. If that happens and foden does come back it could force southgate into a situation where he cant drop Gordon, so he might actually have to use foden in his favourite position, or use both Bellingham and Foden as rotation players. It could also force southgate to use Bellingham alongside rice, which would free up the 10 position for foden and palmer. If foden doesnt come back, then we still have Bellingham who could actually start playing well or palmer, who might be given a chance as a 10. Foden leaving could actually accidentally fix England and force sothgate to make the right decisions. England might actually start to play at their level.

[@AshleyWhatley-mh1yl]

What about Gomez (only fit left back in the squad), Wharton, Gordon, Palmer and Watkins? Substitute Trippier, Bellingham, don't start with Gallagher this time, bench Kane and Saka. Having played three games, we should have already tried and tested the majority of options. Here's a novel concept, why doesn't Southgate change things up and keep our opponents guessing, perhaps even starting with a changed line-up? Revolutionary stuff!

[@SmtN]

Gomez isn't really a left back tbf, he can do it but he's a cb

[@AshleyWhatley-mh1yl]

@@SmtN He's played in that position on and off for years and more importantly, this year. He's fresh off a good season, in a position that Trippier is very uncomfortable with. It's that simple...

[@SmtN]

@@AshleyWhatley-mh1yl Yeah but he was never first choice for Liverpool and we all know Southgate; he's not going anywhere near Gomez unless Trippier/Shaw/Walker are all injured. I somewhat agree as he's definitely one of the less tested/less experience (and probably less talented) members of the squad

[@AshleyWhatley-mh1yl]

@@SmtN Gomez has already proven his suitability for the role and he has proven it THIS SEASON. Southgate has now proven that his ability to see, pick and develop a cohesive team is majorly flawed. So I stopped attempting to imagine his opinion on anything. I don't want to be eternally trapped within the damaged psyche of Gareth Southgate.

[@rua3251]

One of the things I noticed in this is what was Bellingham doing on that cross from Kobbie? If you watch a video of that play Bellingham does not move a muscle that whole time

[@mucool328]

He was tired

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Mainoo should sub for Bellingham

[@optimusd3854]

Isn't Mainoo just doing what Foden should be doing if he was played in the 10. No idea what Bellingham is doing now.

[@rajimus]

hes also coming back winnig the ball and giving space to the cds to be able to play out. he won the ball back 4 times and won 2 duels more than gallagher managed in the first half he also had a 97% pass accuracy which just means we hold the ball longer. foden doesnt look to drop back and do that or retain the ball foden is about creating chances and driving short distances

[@tris421]

@@rajimus Foden isnt going to take the ball of the defence. Foden looked way better when he had Mainoo coming on to link up play. They should both play really.

[@TrapsterJ]

I think it's crazy how that last 5-15 minutes arguably was the best and most threatening we've seen from the tournament and it took this long to see, and yet we're still worried just because knowing Gareth he will copy paste the same starting team and we wont see any impact or difference again.

[@United_Wings]

Kobbie ❤

[@DannyHodge95]

Now that everyone seems aligned on this, I'm more sure than ever that Southgate wont start him... 🤔

[@yellopops]

we’ve been saying this for months but rival fans were too stubborn to their rivalry aside, always wanting trent in midfield

[@cowboy1978sg]

Hi James, I will also be at the Slovakia game in Gelsenkirchen. Would be awesome to say hi and grab a selfie then. ☺️

[@iceetmarne3571]

It s not a surprise for the majority of United fans. Mainoo is class, but very humble and a work horse with it. Come on England!

[@madebylewis]

It was my understanding that only downside noticed (which could simply be down to lack of experience) is that Kobbie will sometimes vacate large areas between the midfield and defence, i.e. what Man United have done a lot of the season, and teams can effectively turn over the ball and create dangerous situations. Now - I know this has been debated that this could be an issue of the defence not squeezing up, but it is worth the mention because it would need to be addressed and Kobbie is not some kind of magic fix.

[@chirantans2162]

But first, what color kits will the teams wear for the R16 and who decides this??

[@markshirley01]

I watched Kobbie when he wasn't in the first team. I knew he was going to be a big player, he's do calm, its great to see him starting to make an impression on the international scene

[@danielhackett1581]

Bellingham got screwed over by foden always drfting into his half space which then Bellingham to have to cover the space that foden was leaving .. if you look at Bellinghams heat map he almost exclusively received the ball at LW. Drop Saka shift foden to RW and play gordon at LW.. and of course Mainoo in for gallagher

[@Li8mBenz]

That space Kobbie is leaving for the right wing is prime Foden area

[@youarebeautifulreuben2074]

Has to start

[@Footieheritage]

SILKLY SMOOTH KOBBIE MAINOO WATCHED HIM IN LOCKDOWN WHEN HE WAS 15 AND THE WORLD NEVER KNEW WHO HE WAS BUT ALWAYS KNEW HE WOULD BE A BIG PLAYER IN FURURE ITS JUST COME VERY QUICK PROUD OF HIM ENGLAND LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A MIDFIELD MYSTRO!!!💫

[@desngalaba1181]

He is crazy guy. He control football temple foristance when the football move in pressure strugle this kid make football relax and make it move slow and when we expect the football to move slow players to look the weakness of apponent this kid make very fast movement of ball is like he is the one who deside when the football to run and when to move. The way he suck opponent player to come for him when he have ball so to create open space is insabe

[@FreeEagle-zh7js]

Can we have him, please? Because we would make the best use of him in our midfield.. I wish Mainoo could migrate and come play for us Germany.. I mean, having such a gifted player on the bench when England doesn't have any midfield, is absolutely brainless.. I would love to have Mainoo playing for Germany.. We need a young and vibrant talent like that in our midfield, who is not too far away from being able to control games, for there are already signs of that.. England has a couple players that have the potential to become world-class, but they are just wasting their talents playing for this crappy football team..

[@castortroy9581]

So incredibly obvious to everyone bar Southgate which blows my mind

[@theblackwolf1638]

What is the name of the website that you use?

[@edmundtaylor3542]

Stathead

[@elingrome5853]

Gilfhub

[@TheSquire420]

You can't play him and fix the left side, and although he is great, you don't really want to play the kid in a euro final. Jude needs to drop in and we fix the left side

[@mucool328]

Kid? Jude is 20 year old and kobbie is 19 year old.

[@TheSquire420]

@@mucool328 true but Jude is one of the best players in the world. Kinda makes up for is youth

[@mucool328]

@@TheSquire420 yes today, but he has been playing for England since he was 17. If they are good enough, they should play, if they under perform , replace them with substitute

[@TheSquire420]

@@mucool328 yes but playing him doesn't fix the left side.

[@mucool328]

@@TheSquire420 sure, for starters they should have a real left back playing left back. Currently team would work if Shaw was playing in lb. He overlaps and underlaps , offering Foden opportunities that he does not have with trippier. Now that Foden is out, Gordon would probably starts and it would work as Gordon is traditional winger. So next game, Maino instead of Gallagher and Gordon instead of Foden. I am not too sure about Saka on right. But we can see him with this formation.

[@dodgysmum8340]

Finally! Man Utd fans cld hv told u this a fortnite ago.

[@birajg.c645]

The sooner Southgate realizes that Mainoo is the key and Bellingham is the force that opens the door once the key is used, the better it will be for England.

[@chirantans2162]

Mainoo is a super sub at best imo. But first, what color kits will the teams wear for the R16 and who decides this??

[@Nicho213007]

anything good that happens for england will certainly be accidental when you consider your "manager"

[@BlackChrishi]

"Did Gareth mean to do this?" 😂😂😂😂 You think the man who started Trent in midfield and played no natural runners on the flanks could come up with this? He has a good tempo setter in Wharton on the bench whom he could play alongside Rice to recycle possession against ball-recessive sides and low-blocks and his idea is to play Trent. That genius couldn't come up with this. He probably just told him to go and enjoy himself. They're mostly playing purely on instinct and that's why Foden, Jude and Kane end up in the same spaces because Jude starts on the ball in that position, Kane drops into that space to get on the ball and Foden drifts inside to also get on the ball so Jude thinks he has to provide width by running into the wide left space but he's not a winger and not incisively creative on his own but everyone's central without anyone stretching the opposition or providing an overlapping/underlapping option either. Courtesy of the coach that is Southgate

[@34KellyRED]

Mainoo should not play as part of a CM 2 in a 4-2-3-1, no way imo. I think you suffocate his natural creative game by giving him too much defensive discipline in a double pivot. In a 3 man midfield would suit him so much better allowing him to get forward, be creative, whilst he wouldn't be as deep in a double DM/CM role. He would still need to do the defensive side of the game of course but it wouldn't be his main part. A midfield trio of Mainoo, Rice & Bellingham in a 4-3-3 would be perfect. Play Trent at RB allowing him to invert into midfield allowing both Mainoo & Bellingham to burst forward ghosting into a AM positions when in the attacking phase making a box midfield shape

[@t-o-s7878]

yeah like Kobbie was doing the job that Jude should have been doing. The only issue with 4-3-3 is that it doesn't work for Foden.

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Need Wharton alongside Rice and Bellingham, with Mainoo replacing Bellingham who will inevitably get tired

[@mikeconroy8214]

He tends to get out of position defensively. It is not unusual for young players in the central midfield roles.

[@riggsmaisey8601]

drop bellingham from the team

[@sean21209]

Unfortunately he’s not a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips so expect to see Gallagher again

[@PouriaJavadpour]

Fact: English football sucks in almost every field except for premiere league but that one is good because of Spanish managers.

[@jac5256]

Everyone is just ignoring that Wharton is literally the perfect partner for rice great at breaking the lines and keeping the ball moving but can also defend so rice can go forward and very rarely misses a pass

[@kelly980]

I would have preferred Wharton on paper, but Mainoo was given the chance and earned a spot. Unlucky on Wharton. I would ideally like to se Wharton given a chance to replace Rice.

[@dylanbishop4175]

I dont think people are ignoring Wharton at all, its just that Rice is a 6 for England not an 8.. Mainoo allows Rice to play as both as they both can sit, Personally i feel like Wharton and Rice have too similar profiles are would get in each others way (similar to Foden and Bellingham rn)

[@jac5256]

@@dylanbishop4175 I personally think Wharton is not a 6 he hasn’t really played there at all for palace I know he can play there but that would waste his creativity

[@dylanbishop4175]

@@jac5256 you think Wharton isn't a 6? He has played as 6 for Palace in quite literally every game he's played for them

[@jac5256]

@@dylanbishop4175 I’m literally a palace fan he played in a midfield 2 where either lerma or Hughes did most of the defensive work

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

I’d rather see Wharton.

[@lizardprincelfc7274]

It would never get changed this point but this would be my starting lineup: 3-5-1-1 Pickford. Walker. Stones. Gomez Trent. Rice. Saka. Bellingham. Foden. Palmer. Kane/Watkins Yes I know people will moan with Saka as a left wing back but he's done it before in his past and a left footer flying down the left will add better balance than we've seen. I'd also be happy to play Gordon there as well. This formation and set up allows us to have the players we want in the same side and playing in more preferred and balanced positions. We'd have balance and width.

[@thegreatguy3829]

You cannot not play Guehi, hes been Englands best player

[@lizardprincelfc7274]

@@thegreatguy3829 he has been and I'd be happy for him to play but the only reason I put Gomez in was the fact that he'd be comfortable being found in a left back position because he's played there as well as centre back. That was the only reason but yes would be happy for Guehi to play there as well.

[@tris421]

bro this midfield is crazy people need to realize this.

[@lizardprincelfc7274]

In this formation they could even play Mainoo and push foden further forward instead of Palmer or push Bellingham forward and play Mainoo further back.

[@tris421]

@@lizardprincelfc7274 tbf with 3 at the back the midfield does work better. Honestly though the problem is Rice and Jude are both ball carriers. You need a high volume passer in there unless you just want to play transition. But yeah what you suggested might work. I do wanna see Palmer in this team though.

[@ianmurphy9955]

We could play as many players as we have and Safegate's tactically inept self would still not play attacking football. Can't wait until England are out, there's a reason we still bang on about 66, which needs to stop it was 60 years ago. England are crap no matter who plays

[@otdavid_]

Watch Southgate play trent in the midfield

[@NotImportantPersonNumber2]

I want england already out of the competion. If you are out of sleeping med, then just watch england play. They will make you sleep. I hope southgate loses his job and he is banished from football scene for ever.

[@Froxdj]

will be interesting now to see how he set's up without Foden

[@mitch8015]

Foden will probably be back for Sunday

[@Froxdj]

@@mitch8015 I was hoping to see Gordon on the left for Sunday

[@mitch8015]

@Froxdj and me mate, fourfourtwo did a great analysis of why Gordon will be so much more impactful. Mainoo and Palmer ad well. Bellingham, foden, saka and kane have started probably most if not all matches this year and think it's showing.

[@Froxdj]

@@mitch8015 yea, let's hope he goes for it 🤞🤞

[@jtfc7286]

@@mitch8015even if he’s back with the squad, he hasn’t trained all week so shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting 11… be classic Southgate to just got with him anyway

[@user-gu2sq3ex6j]

Trent needs to play rb, walker has been awful

[@JGlais]

Walker got us the goal against Denmark

[@user-gu2sq3ex6j]

@@JGlais might be so, but he has been shit. If your gunna talk abt chances created, Trent has crested the MOST chances for England.

[@user-zc2sz1os3j]

Walker is there for one job and one job only, and he's best in the world at it.

[@crystalneth994]

I don’t see why we don’t try Walker at LB, still get to use his pace which lets be honest is his main asset and frees up RB for Trent

[@Alexander-kc8oq]

@@user-zc2sz1os3jHe just isnt though. Awful positioning and useless when England has the ball - which is 95% of the time.

[@stuffbyaaron1811]

Ahh Jim, all these videos on England. Why can't you just sing along with Baddiel and Skinner and enjoy the tournament?! Or is that kinda rhetoric just reserved for us peasants?

[@ashvinderbrar]

Are we just going to ignore the fact that that ‘drift’ is one of the reasons United have an almost non existent midfield?!

[@mollalama]

The "non-existent" midfield is because of the lack of legs, casemiro's job was to get the ball back and make the simple pass and he doesn't that energy anymore🤷

[@dillon_1944]

Arteta would take mainoo at arsenal in a heartbeat you 🤡

[@FemiB1]

You’re wrong and pressed lol. The player has high positional iq. The reason for the gap is primarily the defensive line falling too far back and I know you said one of the reasons but still, you’re wrong. Mainoo is generally positioned well to help united defend in transition

[@dillon_1944]

@@FemiB1 salty rival fans will NEVER praise a united player cause of our PL legacy. As soon as Wharton came onto the scene, they discarded Mainoo and were all begging for Wharton to play. Embarrassing so called "England Fans"

[@joew7854]

Mainoo was injured for the first 6 months of the season. Do you blame the non-existent midfield for the first 6 months on him too? Or maybe… it was tactical.

[@EdmundMartyn]

Proper English name, that. Love to see it

[@Leeds1919LUFC]

He’s literally the most average player but just happens to play for the scum.

[@aystefan]

Tbf I wouldn’t expect a leeds fan to recognise a talented footballer. Enjoy another glorious season in the championship my friend

[@nakiyame2606]

mate hes 18

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

​@@nakiyame2606you can't reason with a Leeds fan

[@markshirley01]

He's definitely not average playing for England at 19. He was a key player for the under 18s - take a look at what they won.

[@tris421]

motm at 19 in the fa cup final is average these days.