Kobbie Mainoo image 37

Kobbie Mainoo England flag

2025-26 Performances

View full 2025-26 profile

5.5 Season Average Rating
Appearances
25
Goals
0
Assists
3
Yellow cards
2
pocco said:
To be honest I still don’t see it with him, and I think Amorims thinking was likely “if clubs want to pay big money for him, which we can use to buy x,y or z then let’s do it”. Perhaps with Case and likely Ugarte going then he survives the cull, but if we brought in two midfielders of the ability of Anderson, for example, then I think people will see it the same way in time. Unless Mainoo really kicks on in key areas of the game.
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I don't know what you're not seeing, he isn't the fastest but that's about it. He can find a pass in short spaces, top class close contol, can dribble, good strength, can find a pass forward, etc.

He has had a hard a season and a half since the Euros, but was a top talent at that point or he wouldn't have been starting in the England midfield, and there are clear circumstances as to why he's not kicked on since then.

Anderson playing in midfield with Kobbie not instead of would be fantastic imo.
 
Nice touches as normal but wasn’t good today but we forget how young he is and he is still learning.
 
flameinthesun said:
What was he sloppy at? I remember one pass when we were attacking that was sloppy but outside of that I thought he kept the ball very well.
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I think there were 2-3 passes with that one obviously that you count, which of course is not that serious but he usually doesn’t ruin those moves like today.
 
I thought he was poor tonight, or maybe the feeling I had was the game passed him by. I'm not bothered, it's probably the worst profile of a game for him. A bit surprised he's getting so much praise on here though. Feels like people are enthusiastic about the win, fair enough, but he had performances like that in the past labeled "he didn't do much" if we're being honest.
 
Not his best game but played 90 minutes away to Arsenal in a 3-2 win with an assist. He's still young and still to mature.

Credit to Carrick for finding a role for him, because I can't quite put my finger on why today he didn't perform great and yet we get arguably our biggest result of the season. I think his best is yet to come, but he was sloppy in attack at times today, but perhaps this system can afford him those mistakes because we still performed great as a team and Kobbie was there for 90 minutes.
 
RU Devil said:
Very good point. For all the hype Odegaard has had, he was rather nondescript today. Was it Mainoo?

Even after the change, it seemed Arsenal was still being controlled except for corners. Seemed the total defense was basically well drilled, with Saka mostly neutralized.
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I think it was that Arsenal had total control of the ball and the likes of Odegard and Zubimendi didnt create anything through the middle. The route was constantly to work the ball out wide, which Rice who got on the ball a lot more or the defenders could find Saka or Trossard and then they would take on a man and get a ball to a teammate or win a corner. Essentially they were bypassed and didnt have much of a purpose with the ball. So Arteta replaced them with more big players who are good in the air for set pieces.

So while I wouldnt give credit to our midfielders for cancelling them out or anything, our midfielders did actually make some things happen through the middle like with Mainoo's involvement in the passing move for the winner. They were more influencial in this game than the starting Arsenal midfielders other than Rice who was still the best.
 
Did the little things that added up to victory over a top opponent, but it was far from Kobbie's peak performance. I'll take that every single time.
 
Wasn't his best display but he kept the ball moving for others in way which was lacking under Amorim.

Which leads me question wtf was Amorim thinking!!
 
People are so harsh here. It is very difficult to excel in midfield against Arsenal and overall he did well, got an assist too
 
Funny thing is because of the weird factions that have been created with Amorim and Mainoo, its meant the expectation and performance levels for Mainoo have to be so high for him to prove the naysayers wrong.

The reality is he's a 20 year old starting for us against the two best teams in the country and we are winning with him in the team in such a vital area. You'll hear some say he wasn't excellent as if that's a normal expectation for someone his age.

What he's doing is outstanding and if people took a glass half full approach to him, there's no way not to be excited about his potential.

By the way, I saw a few progressive passes from him today for all those who say he only passes sideways.
 
I think he is really really key in keeping the ball moving when the team is being pressed. That is his job. And I think it's important this team has a midfield because in the old formation there was no midfield.
 
Seems like he is getting more praise so as to be a weapon to beat Amorim with.. Every 2nd comment has to mention something about Amorim. :lol:

I thought he was very average today and lost the ball A LOT. He redeemed a good bit by his assist and defensive work and that's about it as far as his performance goes. I wouldn't have expected him to have a worldie, given we were playing against Arsenal but the way people are going on in here about his performance today is baffling..

For the record, I like Kobbie and I think he can have a very bright future but let's not overrate run of the mill performances to jab at an ex manager that is now irrelevant to us and Mainoo.
 
Football is a funny game. He's by no means guaranteed to make the WC squad but he must fancy his chances now. Rice and Anderson are near certainties to start but there is probably place for another two out of him, Henderson, Wharton, Scott, Gallagher and Jones to make the squad. I doubt Tuchel would see him as competition to Rogers/Bellingham etc.
 
Another good game, links play well and really good positioning throughout. I always feel like he will lose possession easily only for him to stick out a toe and find a pass.
 
flameinthesun said:
What was he sloppy at? I remember one pass when we were attacking that was sloppy but outside of that I thought he kept the ball very well.
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He also got dispossessed more than anyone else in our team (going by whoscored it was 3 times, every site has their own criteria, I just wanted to fact-check myself). It really wasn’t a performance to write home about, so the praise is over the top. However, none of our players were poor tonight, they were all either just good or even better.
 
He was sloppy with the ball today. But we have to expect this kind of game from him at times because he has not been playing consistently this season and this game was tough for the team anyway.
 
harms said:
He also got dispossessed more than anyone else in our team (going by whoscored it was 3 times, every site has their own criteria, I just wanted to fact-check myself). It really wasn’t a performance to write home about, so the praise is over the top. However, none of our players were poor tonight, they were all either just good or even better.
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According to Sofascore he lost possession 12 times, second most in our team, one fewer than Bruno on 13.
 
The Hilton said:
According to Sofascore he lost possession 12 times, second most in our team, one fewer than Bruno on 13.
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As I’ve said, drastically different definitions on different sites but the point is more or less the same (whoscored had Bruno and someone else on 2 as the second highest). He was certainly way more careless than usual, especially in the first half.
 
Rolaholic said:
Whatever it was...
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Not bad for somebody who doesn't have the athleticism or stamina required for elite level football...

That stat should be emailed to everyone who posts on here. He covers the ground and he covers the space n runs n passes of the opposition, like a centre-mid should.
 
Playing v well, nothing spectacular, no need for nutmeg etc. Just being a good, hard-working, responsible centre-midfielder.

He has always been tidy on the ball, and he has the best coach to help him.improve in that role. He couldn't have asked for anyone more appropriate. Yes, he needs a little more 'punch', dynamism at times... he isn't a natural combatant (like Ince, Gerrard, Keane, Toure, Viera etc..) and I think he could still do something to improve his fitness, speed and agility. He needs to.

But he needs all the game time he can get. But he is playing v v v well, so I'm pleased for him.
 
Thought he worked his socks off today. Not the obvious class performance because always expect but did his job well enough to contribute to a stunning team win. Glad hes back in the 11, midfield looks more solid without Bruno further up and him centrally. Hes only young, has yards and yards to improve, such an exciting home grown and Manc talent.
 
His passing is crisp and lovely on the eye when it comes off but it was a bit erratic and loose today, granted he was being put under pressure by one of the best midfields in the league.
 
TsuWave said:
supposedly not athletic enough

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Somehow this player wasn't good enough to play in a team that struggled to win couple of games in a row.

Mainoo and Case had a good game, they kept midfield tight and Mainoo recieved ball in very tight space, it's natural he will lose it a few times but it's the same move that created loads of space for Cunha for the third goal.

Any midfield will struggle against Arsenal team, they are very good defensively and physically they can bully any team.
 
El Jefe said:
Funny thing is because of the weird factions that have been created with Amorim and Mainoo, its meant the expectation and performance levels for Mainoo have to be so high for him to prove the naysayers wrong.

The reality is he's a 20 year old starting for us against the two best teams in the country and we are winning with him in the team in such a vital area. You'll hear some say he wasn't excellent as if that's a normal expectation for someone his age.

What he's doing is outstanding and if people took a glass half full approach to him, there's no way not to be excited about his potential.

By the way, I saw a few progressive passes from him today for all those who say he only passes sideways.
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It's embarrassing tbh, people are so devoted to a shit manager that they find ways to play down a 20 year old CM who is one of our best talent, also academy graduate.
 
20 year old scholesey was still in the reserves.

20 yr old Keane just arrived at Forest.

20 yr old Robbo was still at WBA.

Context is important. 20 year olds midfielders will have ups and downs in their performances. They will improve and get better at their craft only when they are 24-29. Point in case is Garner whom we sold too early.
 
I thought he was good to be honest. Did a good job with the boring, grunt work. Suppose its hard to appreciate a pass not being played because he's in position. They really didn't get much joy through the middle of the pitch and it wasn't all Casemiro.
Maybe he could have done more on the ball, maybe he could have got on the ball more but i can live with that having its ups and downs. The boring defensive stuff is what you need every week. Same with amad, quiet game going forward but did his job defending. We have enough attacking talent to spread the moments around.
 
Mainoo's great. He's never gonna be rapid or someone who's quick to tackle/nick the ball off like Amad does, but he is relatively press resistant, and if he's able to put shifts like that and improve his positioning for interceptions he's gonna be a monster. Carrick was never an amazing tackler but was always in the right position, may Mainoo learn that from the best too
 
Borys said:
I thought he was poor tonight, or maybe the feeling I had was the game passed him by. I'm not bothered, it's probably the worst profile of a game for him. A bit surprised he's getting so much praise on here though. Feels like people are enthusiastic about the win, fair enough, but he had performances like that in the past labeled "he didn't do much" if we're being honest.
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3rd in touches and passes for United after Licha and Bruno, lots of good defensive work... Game definitely didn't pass him by, he had a good game but in the closing stages tired a bit and had a couple of sloppy/careless passes. Before then was excellent and as good as always under pressure. Just a quality young player. Crazy he's only 20.
 
TsuWave said:
supposedly not athletic enough

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Also before someone tried to give "context" that team had less possession so he covered more ground, Arsenal covered 111 kms and ManUtd covered 109 kms.

Covering most ground again is just very good, he should always be our first choice CM.
 
I hope he makes it to the world cup. As it stands do we have any England player going to the world cup.
 
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