[Pronewbie]

We complain when ETH doesn't sub him off when his energy levels are down, but also complain when the opposite happens. McT on was a mistake though and it's just our manager stubbornly underestimating PL opposition by not valuing the DM position(s).

 

[lex talionis]

Stackable offence on its own that decision. Then ETH has the cheek to say we lost the game in the first half and that the second half was much better

You must be joking. Memo to ten Hag: We neither won nor lost the game in the first half, but we completely shat our isn’t in the second half. In the literal sense of the word literally, we literally lost the game in the second half.

 

[Jeppers7]

Not sure what game some were watching but there’s a lesser chance Forrest score either goal..and we had far more control with Mainoo on the pitch. He’s just regularly in the right place.

 

[Lost bear]

Carrick was no slouch.

I don’t think Marino is, either. What I meant was that they are both players whose game is centred on their intelligence rather than their speed.

 

[Bondi77]

I don’t think Marino is, either. What I meant was that they are both players whose game is centred on their intelligence rather than their speed.

Carrick was a fair bit quicker than what Kobbie is displaying at the moment but it looks like Kobbie has more physicality and he is only 18 so it is looking good for him.
Either some on here never saw Carrick play or some have simply forgot how good he was but I can remember watching a young Carrick alongside Cole and Lampard and I thought he looked the best out of the three.

 

[Champ]

Mainoo offered absolutely nothing going forward nor going back,
Not his fault, the system he is playing in is all wrong.
No midfield will excel in that set up and it showed,

 

[Ekeke]

He was getting bullied physically. But that could have been predicted before the game.

No real need to change it.

Less so than Bruno and Eriksen who stayed on. He was better than they were

 

[Ekeke]

Yep he was pretty quiet the whole half so I’m not going to blame EtH for trying something different.

For all the hate, McT had much better numbers in terms of passing and tackles won

We conceded multiple goals where McTom defended poorly. Mainoo would likely have done better but even if he didnt and had a less impressive game than most of his last couple, hes 18 and learning. McTom is supposed to be a seasoned player

McTom came on as a gamble to get us a goal or two. He didnt. He cost them instead. When the gamble sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose and we lost.

Mainoo had better passing stats than Bruno in the first half who was in the 60s for passing accuracy, and Eriksen was tackled twice. So in terms of keeping the ball he was probably the best of the 3 as well as being the strongest physically

 

[Bobski]

We conceded multiple goals where McTom defended poorly. Mainoo would likely have done better but even if he didnt and had a less impressive game than most of his last couple, hes 18 and learning. McTom is supposed to be a seasoned player

McTom came on as a gamble to get us a goal or two. He didnt. He cost them instead. When the gamble sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose and we lost.

Mainoo had better passing stats than Bruno in the first half who was in the 60s for passing accuracy, and Eriksen was tackled twice. So in terms of keeping the ball he was probably the best of the 3 as well as being the strongest physically

The thing thing that concerned most people was that McT clearly didn't come on to get a goal or 2. It was a straight like for like replacement (tactically) in a defensive midfield role. If Amrabat had been available he surely comes on instead as a natural in that role. I know people don't want to hear this but Scott actually did quite well in his passing and ball winning/physicality yesterday, that is were Ten Hag's energy comment comes from. He has never been a good reader of the game defensively and it doesn't help that the DM in this idiotic set up has been exposed all season, with countless cut back goals against.

Having said that I still think it is very harsh to blame McT for the second goal, he goes across to cover when Yates picks the ball up and drives towards the right, making it a 2 v 2, Varane/Evans and AWB should be able to deal with the threat in the middle.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

We conceded multiple goals where McTom defended poorly. Mainoo would likely have done better but even if he didnt and had a less impressive game than most of his last couple, hes 18 and learning. McTom is supposed to be a seasoned player

McTom came on as a gamble to get us a goal or two. He didnt. He cost them instead. When the gamble sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose and we lost.

Mainoo had better passing stats than Bruno in the first half who was in the 60s for passing accuracy, and Eriksen was tackled twice. So in terms of keeping the ball he was probably the best of the 3 as well as being the strongest physically

Why are you comparing pass completion stats between a number 6 and a number 10? We need our 6s and 8s to have a very high pass completion rate because misplaced passes near our goal are much more of a problem than misplaced passes in the final third. This is obvious stuff.

 

[Ekeke]

The thing thing that concerned most people was that McT clearly didn't come on to get a goal or 2. It was a straight like for like replacement (tactically) in a defensive midfield role. If Amrabat had been available he surely comes on instead as a natural in that role. I know people don't want to hear this but Scott actually did quite well in his passing and ball winning/physicality yesterday, that is were Ten Hag's energy comment comes from. He has never been a good reader of the game defensively and it doesn't help that the DM in this idiotic set up has been exposed all season, with countless cut back goals against.

Having said that I still think it is very harsh to blame McT for the second goal, he goes across to cover when Yates picks the ball up and drives towards the right, making it a 2 v 2, Varane/Evans and AWB should be able to deal with the threat in the middle.

He did come on for goals. Thats what he brings. If hes playing deeper its from set pieces where hes among our best headers

McTom leaves wide open space in the area that the DM and CBs are responsible for. DM first. Its something Fellaini used to do when he was playing "DM" and would go back into our box to help head out crosses, and week after week teams would pullback and pass the ball across the outside of the box to a free man to shoot because you dont have your deep midfielder defending his own area.

 

[Sunny Jim]

Not sure what game some were watching but there’s a lesser chance Forrest score either goal..and we had far more control with Mainoo on the pitch. He’s just regularly in the right place.

in the opening 10 minutes Forrest had a near identical situation to score a goal. Guess what- whoever took the shot they hit Mainoo’s Head. They only got a corner.

 

[buckooo1978]

regardless of how Mainoo was performing - and I think he was as good as anyone in our team

This brought about a structural change with Scott lacking the same positional awareness to cover midfield runners

It cost us the game

 

[Sylar]

He badly needs a partner. Somebody who will make themselves available, comfy on the ball and positional awareness.

Shows how poor our midfield is that we need mainoo to have near 8/10 every game at this age.

I think most if not all feared the worst when he came off for MCT.

 

[The_Midfielder]

The best thing about him is ,his defensive awareness ..he is there most of the times to clear danger

 

[Remember the geese]

He badly needs a partner. Somebody who will make themselves available, comfy on the ball and positional awareness.

Shows how poor our midfield is that we need mainoo to have near 8/10 every game at this age.

I think most if not all feared the worst when he came off for MCT.

Assuming Casemiro leaves, we need to sign an actual DM. Mainoo can play alongside that player as the Frenkie De Jong type. The third man should be a bit more attack minded I suppose, although I'd rather he'd be an actual midfielder as opposed to a number 10.

 

[Bwuk]

He can’t play that lone pivot, but none of our players can. The gaps between our 6 and the other two are suicidal.

I like Mainoo but sooner Casemiro is back the better. They should be partnered together with Bruno at 10. Stop this 433.

 

[Bobski]

in the opening 10 minutes Forrest had a near identical situation to score a goal. Guess what- whoever took the shot they hit Mainoo’s Head. They only got a corner.

They also had a chance when Elanga got the ball in the box 1 v 1 against Dalot, pulled it to the edge and I think it may have been Yates, hit a poor shot over the bar.

Cut backs chances have been a regular occurrence all season, Villa had the chances at 2-1 and 2-2 even in midweek. Idiotic midfield set ups have sabotaged the season.

 

[Salford_Red83]

Yep he was pretty quiet the whole half so I’m not going to blame EtH for trying something different.

For all the hate, McT had much better numbers in terms of passing and tackles won

You... what??

 

[Salford_Red83]

We complain when ETH doesn't sub him off when his energy levels are down, but also complain when the opposite happens. McT on was a mistake though and it's just our manager stubbornly underestimating PL opposition by not valuing the DM position(s).

Nobody, absolutely nobody has complained about his "low energy levels". Considering he's only played a handful of games, and is just 18 years old, one would surmise that he is actually full of energy.

The low energy levels nonsense is just an excuse, bringing him off and replacing him with McTominay is tactical incompetence and shouldn't be glossed over.

He needed support, not replacing.

 

[Adamsk7]

He should get a completely free pass from all of us for the next couple of seasons because this is not how you develop a young promising player - throw them in and rely on them as the only player to shield the defence of bloody Manchester United!

Imagine him coming in to the City/Arsenal/Liverpool sides where he’d be managed in and allowed to make mistakes with the guidance of top players around him.

 

[pascell]

I'd like to see him in a midfield with Casemiro and Mount, I think that would be more balanced.

 

[Pronewbie]

Nobody, absolutely nobody has complained about his "low energy levels". Considering he's only played a handful of games, and is just 18 years old, one would surmise that he is actually full of energy.

The low energy levels nonsense is just an excuse, bringing him off and replacing him with McTominay is tactical incompetence and shouldn't be glossed over.

He needed support, not replacing.

Plenty mate. He's young and needs protection. Problem is the squad quality and who he subbed in.

 

[Bobski]

You... what??

Mainoo completed 9/11 passes, 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, 4 clearances.

McT completed 18/20 passes, 3 tackles, 1 interception, 4 clearances.

From whoscored.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Mainoo completed 9/11 passes, 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, 4 clearances.

McT completed 18/20 passes, 3 tackles, 1 interception, 4 clearances.

From whoscored.

Yup. The game was passing Kobbie by. He had to go. McT definitely played better than him but his poor defensive instincts will always make us vulnerable.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

I'd like to see him in a midfield with Casemiro and Mount, I think that would be more balanced.

What does Mount do here to add balance?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Nobody, absolutely nobody has complained about his "low energy levels". Considering he's only played a handful of games, and is just 18 years old, one would surmise that he is actually full of energy.

The low energy levels nonsense is just an excuse, bringing him off and replacing him with McTominay is tactical incompetence and shouldn't be glossed over.

He needed support, not replacing.

Nah, he was playing badly. When someone plays badly they need to be replaced. As it turned out his replacement played better than him. What screwed us was the lack of depth which meant we couldn’t also replace Eriksen, who was also having a very bad game.

 

[aeh1991]

Nah, he was playing badly. When someone plays badly they need to be replaced. As it turned out his replacement played better than him. What screwed us was the lack of depth which meant we couldn’t also replace Eriksen, who was also having a very bad game.

Hannibal could play on Eriksen's position, but Ten Hag doesn't trust him.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Hannibal could play on Eriksen's position, but Ten Hag doesn't trust him.

He’s not the only one. Hannibal’s manager frequently didn’t trust him when he was playing in the Championship last season.

 

[Lyng]

Kobbie had a bad game but we would not have lost if he hadnt been subbed. We became a open highway in midfield after the sub, and a tired Eriksen had to cover twice the space.
Yes McT had more tackles but he was constantly in the wrong area. It was a bad sub

 

[RobbieBerns]

He felt a bit lost yesterday, often found himself wandering into the same positions as Eriksen in possession and was struggling to figure out his role when we tried to break down the defense. Not entirely his fault given the absolute tactical black hole we seem to be, but I get why he was hooked.

 

[Bobski]

Yup. The game was passing Kobbie by. He had to go. McT definitely played better than him but his poor defensive instincts will always make us vulnerable.

Would say that metric sites are really bad for analyzing defensive play. So much of good defending is tracking runs, matching, reading and being on runs quickly so as to make a pass not even worth trying. You aren't going to get any counting stats for that most of the time.

People aren't going to want to hear it but when Cas comes back Mainoo likely goes to the bench if Ten Hag doesn't get sacked. Mainoo is showing mostly flashes so far, very promising flashes but he hasn't been as impactful as some are making out. Would be happier if we moved onto a caretaker, got rid of Cas/Varane/Martial/Sancho/Antony and used the rest of the season to develop Mainoo and co, accelerate that process going into next season. Results pressure on Ten Hag will mean him staying with his more experienced guys.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Would say that metric sites are really bad for analyzing defensive play. So much of good defending is tracking runs, matching, reading and being on runs quickly so as to make a pass not even worth trying. You aren't going to get any counting stats for that most of the time.

People aren't going to want to hear it but when Cas comes back Mainoo likely goes to the bench if Ten Hag doesn't get sacked. Mainoo is showing mostly flashes so far, very promising flashes but he hasn't been as impactful as some are making out. Would be happier if we moved onto a caretaker, got rid of Cas/Varane/Martial/Sancho/Antony and used the rest of the season to develop Mainoo and co, accelerate that process going into next season. Results pressure on Ten Hag will mean him staying with his more experienced guys.

That won’t happen. And wouldn’t ever happen at any other club. Even caretaker managers will always pick the strongest possible lineup for any given fixture. No club can afford to slide down the table while turning their first team into some kind of “development XI”

 

[MadDogg]

People aren't going to want to hear it but when Cas comes back Mainoo likely goes to the bench if Ten Hag doesn't get sacked. Mainoo is showing mostly flashes so far, very promising flashes but he hasn't been as impactful as some are making out. Would be happier if we moved onto a caretaker, got rid of Cas/Varane/Martial/Sancho/Antony and used the rest of the season to develop Mainoo and co, accelerate that process going into next season. Results pressure on Ten Hag will mean him staying with his more experienced guys.

The hope is that we'll regularly play Casemiro and Mainoo together. Personally I'm tipping we'll try it, and ETH will surprise most people by playing Casemiro in the more attacking role while Mainoo continues to be the one who focuses more on playing out from the back. After all, Casemiro has proven that he's a fairly good goal threat in his own right.

 

[Bobski]

The hope is that we'll regularly play Casemiro and Mainoo together. Personally I'm tipping we'll try it, and ETH will surprise most people by playing Casemiro in the more attacking role while Mainoo continues to be the one who focuses more on playing out from the back. After all, Casemiro has proven that he's a fairly good goal threat in his own right.

That is a possibility, thought given Cas is a notoriously slow starter who knows how long it takes him to get up to speed on his return.

That won’t happen. And wouldn’t ever happen at any other club. Even caretaker managers will always pick the strongest possible lineup for any given fixture. No club can afford to slide down the table while turning their first team into some kind of “development XI”

Probably correct but I at least hope they send don't the likes of Diallo out on loan or bring any other older players as short term loanees.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

He should be watching Jude Bellingham. Thats where his ceiling should be.

He's nothing like Jude Bellingham, though.

Based on how he has played so far, the player he should be watching is Rodri.

 

[AltiUn]

Ten Hag dropping him for “tactical reasons” probably spells the end of his season as the manager is incredibly unforgiving.

 

[DevTheRed]

I did think Kobbie was poor physically yesterday but I would’ve given him 15 minutes in the second half to make up for it. Unfortunately Scott is the most physical midfielder we have at the moment and probably the worst on the ball too.

 

[Litch]

Was impressed with his heading.....

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

He should be watching Jude Bellingham. Thats where his ceiling should be.

This is the problem with our fan base, he's nowhere close to Jude at the same age. Won't be a matter of time until we'll see "is it time to burst Mainoo's bubble" threads.