[Remember the geese]

That the role he was playing. And the role he is given in the first team. He's also done it well for an 18 year old

He can't play that role. He needs to have a dedicated DM alongside him. His strengths are in possession. Perhaps he can learn to play there, but he doesn't have the awareness to play as a pure DM at the top level.

 

[uwotm8]

No, that's horrible also.

Mainoo, Casemiro + Fernandes/Mount/Eriksen probably has the most balance in it.

I don't understand ETH's perspective on this. All the evidence points to him obsessing over having one deep/central midfielder and two further up the pitch. Even with personnel not available; he tactically sets up this way.
He needs to be humble, admit it doesn't work and play two central midfielders not one. Even if he has to start Scott for injury reasons; force him to stay back and try and help. Amrabat/Hannibal are viable options for CM but he clearly doesn't want to see it that way.

 

[AjaxCunian]

Looked really slow on Saturday, Miles looked miles better.

Needs some time to find his form after injury.

 

[DWelbz19]

I don't understand ETH's perspective on this. All the evidence points to him obsessing over having one deep/central midfielder and two further up the pitch. Even with personnel not available; he tactically sets up this way.
He needs to be humble, admit it doesn't work and play two central midfielders not one. Even if he has to start Scott for injury reasons; force him to stay back and try and help. Amrabat/Hannibal are viable options for CM but he clearly doesn't want to see it that way.

Yep. Whilst it's fine to want to be more proactive and play offensive football, it doesn't make sense where we have such terrible midfield balance from a tactical perspective. It's like chucking stuff at a wall hoping it sticks.

The reticence to move away from a "4-1-4-1" + the personnel he keeps playing are really big reasons as to why I think he will ultimately be sacked.

 

[RuudTom83]

Looked really slow on Saturday, Miles looked miles better.

Needs some time to find his form after injury.

Yeah I felt he looked leggy...but he wasn't the only one and nobody likes to hear excuses but, traveling back from Turkey arriving in the early hours Thursday morning, plus a 3 hour coach journey at late notice on Saturday 'could' be an explanation for the lack of any spark.

Needs to be managed and ideally 1 game a week with plenty of time to prepare.

 

[Foolsgold21]

In a normal world he would be starting tonight alongside Amrabat - providing a nice solid midfield base, which can also play the ball from back to front, even against a top team.

Reality is he will be on the bench as we will be playing the 4-1-5 donut formation with Mctominay up front.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Needs to start tonight, simple as.

 

[pascell]

Getting the same treatment as Hannibal.

 

[FerociousCorgis]

Getting the same treatment as Hannibal.

at least with hannibal you can understand it. Hannibal looks like he is struggling a bit and could be red carded any game he starts. Mainoo looked good. Then nah mctominay gets to ride his streak of doing whatever the feck he wants on the off chance he pops up with a goal as we lose the game anyways due to having no control whatsoever.

 

[Ghostrider318]

Is he injured ? or is ETH pissed with him now ?

 

[SAFMUTD]

You just know we're going to feck him up. He's arguably as talented as the most promising youngsters in europe yet we dont give him minutes above fecking McTominay and Amrabat.

 

[Telsim]

I'm not one to hype up youngsters, but I don't see how he is any worse than Amrabat or McTominay? At the very least a body present in that midfield, which I can't say the same about Scott Hoodini.

 

[JustinC00]

Looks like ETH is over Mainoo. I didn't think anything of it until he wasn't brought on for McTominay or Amrabat in the 2nd half vs Bournemouth when it was clear we needed to make a change in MF but going with McTominay and Amrabat again 3 days after Bournemouth and not changing it up confirms it for me.

 

[Drainy]

People are overreacting. He's 18, been taken out of the firing line for a bit

 

[BluesJr]

People are overreacting. He's 18, been taken out of the firing line for a bit

He wasn’t in the firing line. He was the lone bright spot alongside Garnacho. They are the only 2 players I’d keep from this entire squad.

 

[Remember the geese]

Needs to be starting. We play a one man midfield. We should at least be making it a two man.

 

[Ekeke]

I expect he'll come off the bench like against Gala. But ETH does seem to like McTom and Amrabat more right now

 

[BluesJr]

Needs to be starting. We play a one man midfield. We should at least be making it a two man.

I have such hatred for the guy for not realising or just stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it.

 

[thegregster]

Only highlight tonight.

 

[Canucantona20]

Needs to start

 

[laughtersassassin]

Should have started but we already knew that.

 

[Swedish_Plumber]

Only midfielder that looks capable of doing some basic midfield things. The rest hide it give the ball away 90% of the time.

 

[Litch]

Motm in only 10mins......

 

[Oranges038]

Excellent cameo. That outside of the boot pass to Hannibal was sweet.

 

[Santos J]

Needs to be starting, looks so much more composed than the rest

 

[Roboc7]

Should have been brought on much earlier.

 

[Top]

Terrific on the ball. Too slow off it

 

[Remember the geese]

We quite arrogantly have a player with Kobbie's quality on the bench while we field utter shite in the eleven.

 

[dubplate warrior]

Terrific on the ball. Too slow off it

Very true, and something that could be exploited further down the line. Still looks good everyone I see him.

If we are in five years time still playing football with no control, he should leave for a team that keeps the ball better, like others are saying, he has a lot of quality.

 

[KD6-3.7]

I fear for players like Garnacho and Mainoo because they aren't going to progress playing with such dross and not having experienced quality players to learn from, not to mention the terrible management and coaching.

 

[abailey123]

Build the midfield around this kid. Shown more fight in his first 5 minutes than most of the midfield has for a week

 

[Unam333]

CL minutes under his belt. Well done.

 

[Zoo]

Must start at Anfield with Bruno suspended.

 

[The Purley King]

Our best midfielder.
Apparently only good enough for the Dame Judy and amrabat and McGhost must play ahead of him.
Calamitous feck up from ETH.
Either he recognises this or he can jog on

 

[MadMike]

Nice little cameo. Did well against experienced players annd got some good UCL experience, even if the game was largely dead by then.

Just don’t overhype him yet.

Motm in only 10mins......

Massive exaggeration

 

[Alemar]

Must start at Anfield with Bruno suspended.

He likely will - we don’t have any other option (if you don’t count Gore, of course).

 

[MadMike]

He likely will - we don’t have any other option (if you don’t count Gore, of course).

Watch ETH play Antony as #10 instead of Bruno and Rashford on the RW. Gotta keep that 4-14-1 going

 

[Litch]

Nice little cameo. Did well against experienced players annd got some good UCL experience, even if the game was largely dead by then.

Just don’t overhype him yet.



Massive exaggeration

Yep said with my tongue firmly in my cheek...

 

[AngliaRed]

Has he been removed from the reserves now or is he still in their squad?

Just trying to think whether he’s been used rarely for the first team because there is an agreement in place to still feature in the reserves?

Just trying to work out why he isnt playing more.

 

[bosnian_red]

Amidst the shit of this season, Mainoo and Garnacho are gems for the future and we should just focus on developing them well. Don't run them into the ground, don't ruin then, don't change their roles.