Mainoo already plays for us.
Kobbie Mainoo
- Thread starter roonster09
- Start date
Oops.
He's already our player.
A decade of watching the academy has made me wary of getting carried away with skilful pacey players. They might be able to beat their man with a few tricks and look great at youth level but it means very little/never seems to transfer to senior level for us.
I’m looking for the Scholes’, Rio’s of the game in midfield and Defense. First touch, awareness, collective mentality, intelligence and just overall quality outside of individual pieces of skill are pre requisites to have a chance of making it in the first team on a consistent basis.
I’m looking for the Scholes’, Rio’s of the game in midfield and Defense. First touch, awareness, collective mentality, intelligence and just overall quality outside of individual pieces of skill are pre requisites to have a chance of making it in the first team on a consistent basis.
He’s got lovely feet and great passing technique but last few games I’ve watched him in he’s had that bad McTominay habit of hiding* whenever we’re in possession. Unlike McTominay, he’s still young enough to learn that side of the game.
*Not really hiding. Just struggling to find space and make himself available for a pass.
*Not really hiding. Just struggling to find space and make himself available for a pass.
Not a great performance from Kobbie. He showed the odd moment of quality, but he wasn't really involved enough. Whether that was due to the team in general struggling to match Forest's superior physicality, I'm not sure. I will add that he did a decent job defensively though. Won many headers.
To be frank today we struggled in possession. Joyce recognized the pattern and our threat from midfield and crowded the space. Best player on the pitch today was Forrest's number 7 he was amazing.
I think he had a job to do and he did it well for the most part. It’s good to know he can be disciplined when needed.
agree with the previous post though that he hid from receiving the ball a lot as did Gore. We need our 8 and 6 to desperately want to take the ball off the defenders and make us tick.
Forrest’s 352 formation really made it difficult for him and Gore so that needs to be taken into account in there performances. Work rate was to notch though which is refreshing to see when comparing to the first team!
Last edited:
I thought he was good when he had the ball and our only CM, apart from when Oyedele came on, that coped well with the Forest physicality.
I think they marked him well, made sure he didn't have much space to operate, hence why we went through Hansen more to dictate play.
Still very young but to me the signs are there that there's a beautiful player in the making.
I think they marked him well, made sure he didn't have much space to operate, hence why we went through Hansen more to dictate play.
Still very young but to me the signs are there that there's a beautiful player in the making.
I really think its futile talking up youth players tbh, unless they're absurdly talented like Giggs or Rooney (when he was an Evertonion obv).
Not saying Mainoo won't be a good player but the chance of him being good enough for United 1st team in 3 years are slim.
Not saying Mainoo won't be a good player but the chance of him being good enough for United 1st team in 3 years are slim.
Considering the kid is only a few days past 16 years of age, his performance tonight was remarkable! I can’t believe people are being negative about a player so talented and so young!
I hope he develops into a decent footballer. His game doesn’t really do it for me. I know a lot of poster here rate him highly, each to how they perceive the game and what makes a great player.
He is still young with a lot of time on his side. Let’s watch him develop for now
He is still young with a lot of time on his side. Let’s watch him develop for now
I agree with this. I think he had to be disciplined because Hansen-Aarøen and Gore aren't the strongest physically. Oyedele changed the game. It re-addressed the balance.
I've seen him perform a lot better. He was solid enough defensively, but didn't have too many moments of genius. It just shows how highly I rate the kid.
If he continues to develop and grow could really be a good player
Obviously so young it barely matters but has that habit a few first teamers do of only sparking into action as and when they choose. When he does you can see something special.
But that's mixed in with periods of being on the back foot and maybe even a little lazy?
But that's mixed in with periods of being on the back foot and maybe even a little lazy?
I think you've hit the nail on the head here.
I feel the issue was that Hansen-Aaroen and McNeill pretty much got dominated in the offensive half spaces, which affected the two deeper midfield players. Mainoo is at his best when he has creative freedom in the middle of the park, which isn't possible with how things evolved (centrally) further forward. So what ended up happening was that the Forest players cut off the passing lanes to Mainoo and Gore and Vitek was forced to hit it long. And we not only lost out aerially (predictable), but we also didn't fare well with the ball in possession.
I think what should've happened at half time was for Hansen-Aaroen and McNeill to come off for Hugill and Oyedele, which would push Mainoo further up. He (Binnion) eventually made the switch and things started to change.
I personally would've started Hugill ahead of McNeill with Garnacho and Hansen-Aaroen as the inside forward/wide playmaker. And Kobbie Mainoo as the most advanced midfielder ahead of Gore and Oyedele. I think that team is better balanced both in the deeper and advanced areas of the pitch. But it's inconsequential, because we won.
Yeah, I completely agree with you. It is for this reason that I made Oyedele my Man of the Match. His introduction and Hugill's, to a slightly lesser extent, was the transformative factor that swung the game in our favour. Gore and Hansen-Aarøen are really nice technical players, but Forest were very much in the game due to their physical superiority over us. Oyedele was terrific. Winning headers, tackles and blocks, in addition to being a calming influence in possession. He effectively re-addressed the balance for us and that allowed us to win the game, as we were the better side technically anyway.
Mine too, completely changed the game when he came on.
Great minds
I thought Bennett was MOTM with Jackson not far behind as they dealt with the aerial bombardment that Forest put us under for most of the match. Having said that there were were a few other pivotal moments and Travis Binnion's substitutions were spot on. Oyedele and Hugill definitely changed the tempo, momentum and balance in the team. I can understand why some are suggesting Oyedele as the star player.
He was 17yo on 19th April. Born in 2005.
great news
Congratulations to him! Be interesting to see how he develops in the next few years.
Great news. A mature version of this guys profile would solve a lot of problems for us so let’s hope he continues to develop.
Delighted for him! Hard work starts now. ETH will love a midfielder that’s as technically proficient as Kobbie- certain qualities that Frenkie De Jong has too!
Whatever happened to...etc etc
Yeah, hopefully that's not the case.
You support City by then anyway
Good stuff!
Good news. A promising talent who's also just had a very good season. Hopefully he continues to develop.
Tweet seems to have been deleted. What did it say? @Adnan
It was probably an older compilation of his performance as it wasn't the full compilation that has now been released
It was a shorter compilation from the game earlier.
dare I say it after watching a 2 min compilation but he looks pretty impressive there. He's so confident, relaxed and yet sharp with his movement, it's like he's playing with a cigar in his mouth.Big fish small pond?
He does look a very impressive young talent mate. I've got high hopes for him, but also understand the ups and downs a young player of his age will encounter on his journey towards the men's game.
Big fish small pond?
He did well against a league two team earlier and I'm just trying to stay cautiously optimistic about his longterm prospects. I think we can only go game by game, but he does look a big talent for his age group.
Brilliant technical ability aside he seems play with a real maturity about him. There's so much natural talent at this football club. We just need to harness it.