[Remember the geese]

Super quiet on the ball today, only completed 13 passes, 5 in the first half, . Did some decent work defensively but the type of game that shows how far he has to go.

It's not on him. It's on the way the team is set up tactically. He will have no problem in a team who values and dominates possession.

 

[Matt851]

Seems to me that everyone is taking it for granted he will be a starter from now on. To me that's mental. We should be looking for a couple first XI midfielders in the summer with Mainoo used as rotation. He's talented for an 18 year old, but he's certainly not comparable to the elite midfielders out there, which is obviously what we need if we want to compete with the best

I agree it might not be best for him physically but if we get two new midfielders they should be replacing Bruno and casemiro first

 

[Bobski]

It's not on him. It's on the way the team is set up tactically. He will have no problem in a team who values and dominates possession.

Of course it will help but he was still very quiet.

 

[ekestubbe]

Super quiet on the ball today, only completed 13 passes, 5 in the first half, . Did some decent work defensively but the type of game that shows how far he has to go.

If that's true it's absolutely appalling.

 

[Remember the geese]

Of course it will help but he was still very quiet.

He was. I don't know what we expect though? We set up to frustrate them. Mainoo like everyone else, was defending his box all game.

 

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

His best asset tbh is his footwork and his close control, give and go, very calm, doesn't really lose the ball.

He's not a Kante type. He's an 8 imo

 

[Bobski]

He was. I don't know what we expect though? We set up to frustrate them. Mainoo like everyone else, was defending his box all game.

I think one of the problems for Mainoo in a game like that is if we are sitting deep and just looking for the one pass to open it up that isn't his strength at the moment, as you say for his game to excel he needs the team to want to keep the ball and control the match, Ten Hags chaotic hoof and run stuff only allows glimpses of his quality.

 

[Rojofiam]

Super quiet on the ball today, only completed 13 passes, 5 in the first half, . Did some decent work defensively but the type of game that shows how far he has to go.

What is he supposed to do in a game like this?

 

[amolbhatia50k]

We need three of him in midfield

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Super quiet on the ball today, only completed 13 passes, 5 in the first half, . Did some decent work defensively but the type of game that shows how far he has to go.

I mean what did you expect? We couldn't get out of our own box and the entire plan was to hoof it long and look for a counter. No technical/tempo setting midfielder is going to thrive under that gameplan. I thought he was great off the ball.

 

[NinjaZombie]

Super quiet on the ball today, only completed 13 passes, 5 in the first half, . Did some decent work defensively but the type of game that shows how far he has to go.

You switch him and any City midfielder and he won't look out of place. You put Bernado Silva in ours and he'll look useless as well.

 

[Remember the geese]

as you say for his game to excel he needs the team to want to keep the ball and control the match

Exactly right. He's one of the good guys.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

What is he supposed to do in a game like this?

Yeah I mean you could stick Xavi into the team today instead of Mainoo and he wouldn't have completed many passes with that setup and gameplan. Bizarre criticism.

 

[2mufc0]

Nothing the kid could do with the way ETH set us up today.

 

[Nico87]

If that's true it's absolutely appalling.

To be fair to Mainoo in games against high-pressing teams it requires quick interchanges between players who are capable of receiving the ball under pressure and we seem to lack those.

 

[Baneofthegame]

Still made some good passes and through balls when he managed to get on the ball, would help if other player outside of him, Dalot and Onana don’t shit themselves receiving the ball.

 

[Phil]

Probably the player I trust most to retain possession. No hope in a team like ours today though.

 

[Rojofiam]

Yeah I mean you could stick Xavi into the team today instead of Mainoo and he wouldn't have completed many passes with that setup and gameplan. Bizarre criticism.

Put Mainoo in the other team for this game, and he would look like one of the best midfielders on the planet, completely dominating our midfield and dictating the pace for the whole game.

Put one of City's midfielders or Stones in our team, and I don't think they do anything worthy of note either today.

Same could go for Onana and Ederson. Switch them up and City will keep playing the same way they have been for years, meanwhile Ederson will start conceding goals every week, due to facing 15-30 shots per week instead of 2-5.

It's all about environments and we have several really good players who would look like world class players for City.

 

[Sylar]

With the way we set up, we should have kept fred.

However for how we ultimately want to go, we need him most out of all our options then we need another three or four like him along with him.

 

[city-puma]

He is special to feel the danger in temporal and spatial sense. The games he played this season will make him a well rounded player in the years coming. That’s the only compliment we can get from these many ugly games.

 

[Skills]

He's being taught how to play in midfield incorrectly. I'd take him out of the first team picture to protect him from the incompetent coaching at this stage of his career.

 

[KjaAnd]

Partly at fault for their first goal. When Foden comes inside, he needs to come out and block the shot. I'm sure he will learn from it.

 

[DWelbz19]

He's being taught how to play in midfield incorrectly. I'd take him out of the first team picture to protect him from the incompetent coaching at this stage of his career.

Ten Hag hopefully won’t be here much longer.

 

[Skills]

Ten Hag hopefully won’t be here much longer.

I wouldn't count on it.

 

[DWelbz19]

I wouldn't count on it.

You think INEOS will give him another season? I don’t quite buy into the hype that we’re suddenly going to act like a proper institution and make decisions quickly and without sentiment, but I hold out some hope they’ve got a man earmarked in the wings.

 

[Ekeke]

Was okay in the first half, he made 3 tackles and an interception in our defensive tactic. We didnt have much of the ball and he barely touched it

2nd half he didnt win the ball anymore and he continued to barely touch the ball. Ended up having less touches than McTominay in the same time which is always a worry. Casemiro got plenty of touches and made a decent amount of passes, Mainoo and McTominay did not. A big struggle for both to be involved with the ball

 

[Ekeke]

Partly at fault for their first goal. When Foden comes inside, he needs to come out and block the shot. I'm sure he will learn from it.

All Lindelof. He's squared up and shows Foden onto his stronger foot then doesnt bother to stop him

 

[Skills]

You think INEOS will give him another season? I don’t quite buy into the hype that we’re suddenly going to act like a proper institution and make decisions quickly and without sentiment, but I hold out some hope they’ve got a man earmarked in the wings.

Everything coming out of INEOS so far seems to the same of sort of kool-aid thats regurgitated by our clueless fanbase. It's not the managers etc.

They'll stick with him to try and prove that point.

 

[KjaAnd]

All Lindelof. He's squared up and shows Foden onto his stronger foot then doesnt bother to stop him

Nope. Lindelöf should have done better but it's a team game and if their player cuts inside, one of the midfielders has to step up. McT is tracking a runner and Casemiro is nowhere near, so it's Mainoo's job.

 

[Yagami]

He's playing in a team, and under a manager, that has zero regard for anything resembling a midfield. It's a shame.

 

[Ekeke]

Nope. Lindelöf should have done better but it's a team game and if their player cuts inside, one of the midfielders has to step up. McT is tracking a runner and Casemiro is nowhere near, so it's Mainoo's job.

He's the winger, you're the fullback. You let him come inside onto his one strong foot and shoot. You are to blame. You have one job, do it

 

[atkar83]

With the way we set up, we should have kept fred.

However for how we ultimately want to go, we need him most out of all our options then we need another three or four like him along with him.

Jesus, we couldn't even replace (and ideally upgrade on) Fred. Mount can't stop from getting hurt and was invisible anyway, and Amrabat is about as bad of a World Cup darling as there has ever been

 

[pascell]

We have max 3 seasons to start challenging for both the PL & CL or he'll be gone. No way he stays if we're still faltering with a huge gap between us and City/Liverpool/Arsenal.

 

[KjaAnd]

He's the winger, you're the fullback. You let him come inside onto his one strong foot and shoot. You are to blame. You have one job, do it

That's not how football works. You don't rely on defenders never making mistakes. You set up your team to cover if a player is out of position or beaten in a duel.

 

[Ekeke]

That's not how football works. You don't rely on defenders never making mistakes. You set up your team to cover if a player is out of position or beaten in a duel.

You have no idea how football works, you barely have any idea how a keyboard works. Lindelof was at leftback to stop exactly that scenario

 

[Sylar]

Jesus, we could even replace (and ideally upgrade on) Fred. Mount can't stop from getting hurt and was invisible anyway, and Amrabat is about as bad of a World Cup darling as there has ever been

Oh for sure. I was thinking more, If we had a set style (and from what we're seeing) getting rid of fred makes no sense

But yes, our ability to replace players is horrible. We tend to spend shit loads for hardly any upgrades. The amount we spent on midfield, we would have been better off keeping that money and just playing garner and Hannibal with mainoo

 

[KjaAnd]

You have no idea how football works, you barely have any idea how a keyboard works. Lindelof was at leftback to stop exactly that scenario

English is not my native tounge, but at least I know how to spell Lindelöf correctly. And how to construct an argument instead of just repeating my original postulate.

 

[city-puma]

Oh for sure. I was thinking more, If we had a set style (and from what we're seeing) getting rid of fred makes no sense

But yes, our ability to replace players is horrible. We tend to spend shit loads for hardly any upgrades. The amount we spent on midfield, we would have been better off keeping that money and just playing garner and Hannibal with mainoo

Fred had been key to make the forward line break pass to start the fast transition in Ole era. Even though he stayed this season, ETH wouldn’t use him that way.

 

[Sandikan]

We have max 3 seasons to start challenging for both the PL & CL or he'll be gone. No way he stays if we're still faltering with a huge gap between us and City/Liverpool/Arsenal.

We'll have banged him on 200k a week by then and he'll not get that anywhere else.

 

[pascell]

We'll have banged him on 200k a week by then and he'll not get that anywhere else.

He'll get there at plenty of places, he's going to the top, 100%.