Who would want to buy him though? He doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere across the midfield.
37
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 37
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 7
Who would want to buy him though? He doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere across the midfield.
I can't believe how people are piling in on a 20year old who is coming back from injury.
Second season syndrome in a dysfunctional team. Not worried personally.
Kobbie Mainoo is right up there with the least of the problems at the club.
100% true.
He’s shown zero desire and appetite to work hard during games. The games seem to pass him by, I’ve seen him throwing his arms around blaming other players for not being there to receive a bad pass from him. He’s got all the bad traits that young players fall into when they think they’re better than they are.
I was going to say the club surely couldn’t be stupid enough to reward his shite season with a fat juicy contract but we all know different from the past 12 years of mismanagement.
Lindelof is faster, has more stamina and is more agile. Mainoo is stonger I’d say.
Eriksen is again faster in a sprint I’d say, stamina & agility probably about the same. Mainoo would be the stronger of the two. So pretty close with a what 34/36yo who had a heart attack and died on the pitch. Not a ringing endorsement is it?
Agreed but he's definitely not a solution to any of the problems either. Praying he's not fully fit because if he is then he's a massive worry, especially considering the potential most had for him.
Our midfield is one of our biggest problems.
We have so many it’s hard to prioritise anymore….
Strikers
Goalkeeper
Wing Backs
Central Midfield
Attacking Midfielders
We have one of the best attacking mids in the world, onana is a screw up but not our biggest issue, wingback are meh but fine for now.
In terms of our ability to win games striker and central midfield are definitely our weakest links.
Wing backs are a huge issue in this formation, they are supposed to be a creative hub like the 10’s, not a couple of defensive fullbacks getting in the way.
Onana is an horrific goalkeeper and brings the jitters to the whole defense. The amount of points he’s lost with his mistakes is eye watering.
Attacking Mids, Bruno carries us sure but he’s playing as CM now a days, is this going to be permanent? The guy can’t play 2 positions every game which we’re pretty much asking him to.
Spending £50 million on a midfielder who can't pass or run with the ball is a major reason for that.
So’s spending £60+ on an aging player, getting a free player who recently had a heart attack, another £60M on a player who’s been injured for 2yrs and having a 20yo who runs like a 50yo.
It’s simply a mess.
For sure not a ringing endorsement. But I think, nobody is really singing his praise at this point. For the record - I don't think Lindelof has much over Mainoo but I guess, thats a bit subjective. At the end of the day, I agree with you - our midfield is a mess and the reasons in the other post are pretty much what I would say as well. I think, Mainoo has been hyped up a lot and now there is an element of desillusion happening. Add those stories about him allegedly wanting a substantial raise and you have frustration added to formula right there.
I don't know whether Mainoo will be a mainstay in our team. But given his age and his skillset, he is pretty much in midfield when it comes to action items.
I really hope he can have a great season next season but I don’t think he’ll be able to really cover over his lack of athleticism.
Although I’ve been wrong many times, years ago I wanted us to buy Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton when they were ripping it up for a year!
I agree, especially in midfield him going missing is a tricky thing to mitigate and I also don't know, whether we'll be able to make it work. I think, it really depends on him and where he will evolve as a player. Will he add passing to his arsenal? Will he be able to improve his fitness? Both is possible and both is worth hoping for. But I think, our standpoints are pretty close to each other. He doesn't seem to be a natural fit for any midfield role (bit like Pogba back then) and if a good offer comes in and we have players on the shortlist who'd fit better, I'd probably take the offer.
I agree, we lack steel and grit in midfield for ages. Which is why I am a little more fond of Ugarte than (I feel) the majority on here
I agree on Ugarte, he’s not the best player in the world, neither is he the worst but at least he offers something our other midfielders don’t.
It just drives me mad that for the past few years we have managers trying to play players in wrong positions so they can play their formation instead of choosing a formation to suit the players they have initially.
Amorim with his wing backs and 10’s
ETH with his suicidal one man midfield of Casemiro
Ralf with his 4222 that no one in midfield or attack really suited
Ole’s the only one who picked a formation to suit the players and he was unfortunately not ready for the job experience wise.
We need to find a position both player and manger think they can play to a high standard and if they fail we move them on.
No desire to see us nurture him and help him to work on flaws and improve as a player, just run and discard him at the earliest convenience? This used to be a club that prided itself on its academy and nurturing talented young players, now fans are desperate to get rid of our best young players as soon as they show they're not Scholes or Xavi at 20.
A young player who has come through the club and is still developing and growing is not the reason for our midfield problems.
Just because the manager is going with a system that does not suit him, does not make Mainoo one of our bigger problems
I think in a midfield three he would be a good player. That the manager only wants to play two in there with no legs at all times is a bigger issue than Mainoo.
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Despite their flaws, those players offer much more than Ugarte. Buying technically limited players has harmed the club more than signing experienced ones.
I'll say it again doesn't make him a solution either. Amorim is here to stay and if Mainoo can't force his way into this midfield it's on him. There's at least 3 position up for grabs, either one of the 10's or as a CM depending on where Bruno plays.
If he is indeed here to stay, then we can hope that he has the ability to coach one of our best young players to become a part of the team. Or is that too much to ask?
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Mainoos problems do not come from the system.
I'd put Onana right at the top of the list. In addition to single-handedly costing us wins with his mistakes, you'd imagine he emanates a sense of nervousness/insecurity to the rest of the team.
You need all types of players to a squad. Ugarte will be replaced when needed. Until then we have more pressing issues.
I use to think that. But then you look at successful teams like Man City who have 3 to our 1 Kobbie Mainoo’s and non of them make it. I’m all for having youth players that make up the numbers. But we really need to start focusing on bringing through the best of the best. I’ve said it already Mainoo and Garnacho aren’t no Mason Greenwood. It’s a different level of talent.
Probably. He's a sellable asset, with contract expired in 2027 (another two seasons). And he ask for very high wages (for his class and usefulness) to commit to the club.
So decision has to be made fast, and not letting it run until the last year of contract.
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I wanted Joey Barton when he was at City too
. And not long after that I wanted Gabby Agbonlahor!Can't say I ever wanted Kevin Nolan, at least.
As said a few posts back, the system is not the issue with Mainoo at present.
If a player is lumbering around the pitch, not really showing any proactivity, then no system is going to easily accommodate them, not in today's EPL.
His skill set is also pretty narrow at the moment. He gets compared with Pogba, but Pogba had a much broader skill set, it was just so erratically employed.
It's not only Mainoo, mind you. It's largely the lack of athleticism in your whole team. Amorim's system will get a lot of the flak, but the system is not that much of an outlier - quite a few others play a similar formation nowadays. It's not my favourite system by any means, 4-3-3 probably is, but the formation gets a lot of the blame for poor recruitment and conditioning across several seasons.
If a player is lumbering around the pitch, not really showing any proactivity, then no system is going to easily accommodate them, not in today's EPL.
His skill set is also pretty narrow at the moment. He gets compared with Pogba, but Pogba had a much broader skill set, it was just so erratically employed.
It's not only Mainoo, mind you. It's largely the lack of athleticism in your whole team. Amorim's system will get a lot of the flak, but the system is not that much of an outlier - quite a few others play a similar formation nowadays. It's not my favourite system by any means, 4-3-3 probably is, but the formation gets a lot of the blame for poor recruitment and conditioning across several seasons.
Kev ripped it up for Bolton for a year or two!I wanted Joey Barton when he was at City too
Can't say I ever wanted Kevin Nolan, at least.
He had a very mediocre season, but he is still very young and has loads of potential. I hope he bounce back next season.
not sure about that. We need a strong centre midfield if we are ever going to get back to competing at the top of the table, when Mainoo plays at the moment, in the main, teams are able to just ghost through our midfield.
Eriksen, Casemiro likely to leave this summer; Mainoo barring injury will likely have a much bigger role next season, like it or lump it, as we don't seem to be linked to any centre mids.
He clearly struggles in the 2-man midfield, whether that is physicality or not being positionally disciplined enough yet, or another reason
as other posters have stated, he's due a bigger contract which is a major decision for the club at the moment, do you go all in on Mainoo, given recent performances and glaring issues in his play, or do you look elsewhere? With all the extra repercussions that entails - we would look to be a club that's started to cash in on its academy prospects
But right now, the way he's playing, I don't see him as first choice on the team sheet, and neither does Amorim to be honest. The lack of effort in some of the recent games has been criminal
Encourage you lot piling onto him to go back and watch last year's performances. It's pretty clear he's either going through an awkward growth spurt or possibly still injured.
For a 19 year old to do what he did last year is pretty remarkable. You don't just give up on a player like that. As has been said already In this thread he's literally the least of our problems.
We should be rejoicing we have a young talent such as him. All I see are pitchforks. Pretty sad actually.
For a 19 year old to do what he did last year is pretty remarkable. You don't just give up on a player like that. As has been said already In this thread he's literally the least of our problems.
We should be rejoicing we have a young talent such as him. All I see are pitchforks. Pretty sad actually.
Agreed its actually wild that people want to sell him and use that money to fund Amorim's transfers when we don't even know if he'll make it to the end of next season
He's going to be great again next season. Long summer off, hopefully time to let his body heal and get comfortable again. He has so much technical quality and such soft feet I just refuse to believe that there's not a player in there.
He has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a starter here for sure, but he's still very young in matches played terms and for his position. For me it's all up to him.
He has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a starter here for sure, but he's still very young in matches played terms and for his position. For me it's all up to him.
Who needs enemies when you have fans that are on this forum. He's 20 ffs! One year back he was the best midfielder for us and didn't look out of place for the England side at the euros. All of a sudden he's horrible and needs to be sold.
Unbelievable.
Unbelievable.
I really like him, but am starting to worry a little that he becomes one of those players who doesnt have a precise role. Im less convinced than ever about what his position is?
I am only hoping here, but, I think he can become someone like Modric, a central playmaker that can dictate the game from deep areas, carry the ball or pass it forward and be dangerous near the box as well, Mainoo is already an excellent ball carrier, his short passing game is excellent as well and probably his strongest suit, and he can also finish in the box when he gets a chance to do so, obviously he will need to vastly improve his long passing and defensive positioning, because he is also a decent tackler and ball winner, he doesn't need to be an athlete (Macalister isn't athletic but he is brilliant in CM with Liverpool), but he needs to improve his in-game intelligence and read the game well.
My hope is based on the fact that he is still only 20 and has the chance to still develop further and be a lot better by the time he is 22-23.
He has had a very poor season, he does not look like himself at all.
Is it injuries, lack of form, lack of direction? Not sure what has happened with Kobbie.
When he came on against Chelsea, he looked completely lost and seems to have put on a alot of muscle.
He was quite press resistant last season but this season looks a shadow of that player.
Lets hope its a 2nd season syndrome and next season he comes good again.
Is it injuries, lack of form, lack of direction? Not sure what has happened with Kobbie.
When he came on against Chelsea, he looked completely lost and seems to have put on a alot of muscle.
He was quite press resistant last season but this season looks a shadow of that player.
Lets hope its a 2nd season syndrome and next season he comes good again.
That was the same optimistic sense I had too. I worry though that this type of midfielder needs to be part of a middle three, and that if we are persevering with this system, Mainoo does not have the attributes to be part of a two. Hopefully thats not the case, and we should be patient. When Modric was Mainoo's age he was on loan with a club called Inter Zapresic, and then spent the next 3 seasons at Dinamo Zagreb before his spurs move.