Why Kobbie Mainoo Has To Start For England
It's been a whirlwind three or so months for Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo, a three months which has rightfully resulted in him getting called up to the national team. The March international break is usually one used to figure out a squads best fringe players - but Mainoo is far better than that - Adam Monk explains why...
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00:00 [Music]
00:04 So, first thing to address, I mean we've all watched him play recently, we all can clearly see he's very good, but...
00:10 What the hell is he?
00:12 'Cause there seems to be a debate first and foremost that he's both a 6 and an 8 and maybe even a 10,
00:16 he's a box-to-box midfielder, he can screen a backline, dictate tempo,
00:20 it's almost like he ticks every box and people are sort of watching him play for United and are profiling him in a different way.
00:26 Which is testament to his quality really, the fact that he doesn't have a defined identity or position on the pitch yet.
00:32 Now just to compare him to my old pal Curtis Jones, who I've definitely moved on from by the way,
00:37 on the surface this isn't actually great reading for Kobe Maneuw, he's being, well, the floor's being wiped by Curtis Jones here,
00:43 in regards to so many stats.
00:45 The passes that lead to goal per 90, the expected build-up per 90, and the xG chain per 90,
00:52 which is on the left-hand side there, which is the total xG of every possession that Curtis Jones and Kobe Maneuw have had per 90 minutes.
00:59 So it basically just means that Curtis Jones is also more creative than Kobe Maneuw right now.
01:04 So maybe you're thinking, "Kobe Maneuw's crap", but you would be wrong, sir or missus,
01:10 because he plays for Manchester United, not Liverpool, and Liverpool are a team that have played with a structured system under Jurgen Klopp for many years,
01:17 have better players factually, particularly better attackers, so his creative output and his output on the ball,
01:22 Curtis Jones' is obviously going to be better, and Manchester United aren't exactly a team that you would say play with any real structure or identity at the moment.
01:31 I mean, Bruno Fernandes, for instance, was at centre-back against Liverpool in the FA Cup game last weekend, and Anthony was at left-back at points,
01:39 and I'm not saying that's a consistent at Man Utd, but that was a Hail Mary from Eric Ten Haag.
01:44 But as Eric Ten Haag often says,
01:46 "We stick to the plan, we have to stick to the plan."
01:49 So in short, it's actually expected that Kobe Maneuw's midfield counterparts at England,
01:53 who play for better-performing teams at the moment, are going to have better stats in terms of possession on the ball,
01:59 but Maneuw still does have some standout stats that separate him above from the rest and really highlight what his qualities are.
02:06 Here you can see that per 90 this season, four shots blocked,
02:09 Kobe Maneuw's actually in the top 90% of players in the top five leagues,
02:13 and leading it, which was actually quite surprising to me, is his teammate, Casemiro.
02:17 But it goes to show that Kobe Maneuw's very, very adept at screening a backline and has defensive acumen to his game.
02:23 This one right here, though, was the one that was most impressive to me.
02:25 He's actually in the top 99% of players in Europe for successful take-ons that then lead to a goal.
02:32 So in the top 99% at his age.
02:34 So if you consider those two stats, the fact he's in the top 90% for blocking shots in his own final third in Europe,
02:40 and then in the top 99% for successful take-ons that lead to a goal, whether that be his or his teammate's goal,
02:46 that paints a picture that he's a jack of all trades and could be Gareth Southgate's final piece in whatever jigsaw he's creating.
02:54 I really think he could.
02:56 If you look at this England set-up now, Calvin Phillips has stopped playing football,
02:59 and Jordan Henderson has also kind of stopped playing football.
03:02 He hasn't, but he's just not very good anymore, and he plays in Holland, and no one really cares about him.
03:06 So it leaves a vacancy.
03:08 You have Declan Rice, you have Jude Bellingham.
03:10 They are dead certain to start in the midfield for England,
03:12 but then there's this sort of, "Ooh, missing piece man" in the middle,
03:16 and it could be Conor Gallagher, it could be Curtis Jones, or it could be Kobi Mainu.
03:21 Now look, I know what people are going to say.
03:23 Like, this is the European Championships, the stakes are high, playing an 18-year-old is a huge, huge risk,
03:28 and I would tend to agree usually, but listen, I'm a Man City fan, and I've got biases towards certain players,
03:35 I'll admit that, but sometimes players are so good that you have to say what you see,
03:39 and in the last few weeks from what I've seen of Kobi Mainu, I think he ticks so many boxes
03:44 that he's just simply too good for Southgate to ignore.
03:47 So I'm going to show some clips and screenshots now that really showcase different attributes of his game
03:52 that make him the jack-of-all-trades like I've mentioned, and that certainly, in my opinion anyway,
03:57 put him above Conor Gallagher, you know, Curtis Jones, maybe Trent Alexander-Arnold as that third midfielder,
04:03 in the pecking order for England.
04:04 So yeah, let's just look at some clips of him.
04:06 Composure's the first thing you'll notice about him.
04:08 Look at these tight spaces.
04:10 What's so impressive about this is it's almost like sometimes when he's in these tight spaces,
04:13 he thinks quicker than anyone on the pitch and can get himself out of any tight situation,
04:17 but he also combines that with having a bit of a Spanish pausy, you might say,
04:21 where he takes that second on the ball when players are pressing him,
04:24 and he manages to beat the press with a pass or a nutmeg.
04:27 He does it time and time again, and it's just on another level for an 18-year-old.
04:32 Now, the next thing is his dribbling prowess.
04:33 Now, by the way, I was actually in Krakow in Poland earlier this week,
04:37 and side note, I have liver poisoning.
04:39 But in Krakow, I was watching the United-Liverpool game,
04:42 and there was one moment of this game which I'm about to show you now.
04:44 You probably already know what it is, which is what's prompting me to make this video,
04:47 because my jaw was almost on the floor.
04:50 This dribble here, I mean, the two-touch control with both feet,
04:53 it was almost Ronaldinho-esque.
04:55 I'm not even joking.
04:55 Like, the ability to switch from left to right so proficiently was just absolutely unbelievable.
05:01 In a game of this stature as well, a game which was being played at such high intensity,
05:05 he almost looked like a winger at times in this game.
05:07 Then you go on to his passing range, and I mean, he ticks that box as well,
05:11 playing pings over the top to Rashford from the sixth position.
05:14 As well as knowing when to not play that pass and just keep things simple
05:17 and almost dictate the tempo like a bit of a register,
05:20 he ticks both of those boxes.
05:21 His tackling's another element of his game, these sort of hook tackles from behind the man,
05:26 which probably then feeds into his shots block stat that I talked about earlier
05:29 because of his breaking up of play and his positional awareness,
05:32 and knowing when to go to ground and commit.
05:35 And then importantly as well, his ability to drive from deep and score goals for himself
05:39 or assist his teammates.
05:40 You obviously, you've seen this goal against Wolves from a few months ago,
05:43 but this was really when people started talking about him.
05:45 And this goal in the 90th minute of the game was, again, just from another planet.
05:50 I have to admit it.
05:51 So when you ask, what do you want in a midfielder?
05:53 Well, composure, dribbling prowess, the passing range, the ability to tackle,
05:57 the ability to drive forward and score goals.
06:00 He showcased that he can do all of this at the highest level at 18 years old
06:04 in the last three months.
06:05 It is honestly one of the most ridiculous starts to a career of a youngster
06:09 that I can remember seeing in my lifetime.
06:11 And I don't say that lightly.
06:13 So take him, Gareth.
06:15 Well, you are for this international break, but take him to the Euros.
06:18 So what I would do if I was Gareth Southgate in the waistcoat is I'd play Rice, Mainou and Bellingham
06:23 up there, but then I'd do something else, which brings me on to my next point,
06:27 which is going to unlock Bellingham and free him to sort of play that second striker role
06:31 that he does for Real Madrid.
06:32 But Mainou needs to play, I feel, so let me talk about that.
06:35 Now, don't shoot me.
06:36 This is roughly the team that I would play at the Euros.
06:40 And what I would do with this team is what happens at Manchester City.
06:43 Now, you'll be very aware from watching Pep's team over the last year
06:46 that John Stones likes to invert and play in central defensive midfield.
06:50 And him and Kyle Walker kind of have this synergy where when John Stones marauds forward,
06:54 they will form a back three and Kyle Walker will kind of go into this centre half/right back role.
06:59 Side note, which isn't much about Mainou, but if you played Levi Colwell in the traditional
07:03 left back role or that kind of Nathan Ake position, this could form a nice back three
07:07 with Maguire, Colwell and Walker when England are in possession of the ball.
07:11 You'll then notice this has created a box midfield of Mainou, Rice, Stones and Bellingham,
07:15 which, oh my God, that just sounds sexy to say.
07:18 What this then does by having this box midfield is ease up the defensive duties of Jude Bellingham,
07:23 allowing him to maraud and not kind of play the tip of a diamond per se,
07:26 because I know Madrid set up slightly differently in midfield,
07:29 but play in the same pockets of space and arrive in the box at the same time
07:33 as he does at Real Madrid and kind of just play that same role and have him facilitated in the
07:37 same way. And having that midfield three then, or four, of John Stones, Declan Rice, Kobi Mainou,
07:43 you've got everything you need there in that midfield to then just say to Jude Bellingham,
07:46 you know what son, have a go and do what you do at Madrid and score loads of goals.
07:50 So I think that in return as well by playing Mainou and allowing Stones to move forward
07:54 will give England a massive, massive chance of winning the Euros,
07:57 because then ahead of him you've got Harry Kane and Saka and Foden.
08:00 Oh my God, we should be winning it. Honestly, we should be winning it. That is not delusion.
08:04 Everyone's been saying England's best shot of winning the Euros is to give Jude Bellingham
08:08 the keys as much as possible. So give him the keys, play Mainou, Rice, Stones and let them
08:14 guard the house while Bellingham's out with the keys, like loyal dogs. What am I on about?
08:18 Now look, do I trust Gareth Southgate to go ahead with this? Well,
08:22 to answer that question for you as a Manchester City fan,
08:26 I hope he becomes Manchester United manager. No, I don't trust him.
08:29 I still think Henderson, to be honest, will inexplicably be added to the Euro 2024 squad
08:34 in the same way David Cameron was inexplicably made foreign secretary last year after years of
08:40 doing nothing. It's pretty much the same thing. Henderson will find his way in that team.
08:44 But look, in the same breath 20 years ago, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were 18 when
08:48 they broke through at England. And I truly believe that Kobe Mainou is of a similar level to those
08:52 guys. You can say what you like about Man United at the moment, but they are still an elite club
08:57 and there's a lot of expectation and pressure and weight when that badge is on your shirt.
09:01 And in a relatively bad season for Man United amidst total chaos and disorganisation and
09:06 synergy between the players, Mainou has been their standout player and a calming influence in that
09:12 team, despite being the youngest player who's consistently playing. So that speaks volumes,
09:16 in my opinion, of him as a player. And look, if he's good enough, he's ready. And we've seen this
09:21 so many times. I mean, look at Palmer, for instance. I know he's three years older, but he
09:25 was a bit part player at Manchester City and then goes to Chelsea and lights it up like that. Some
09:29 players have just got it in them. And I'm convinced Kobe Mainou does. So take him, Gareth, and give
09:35 him the chance. Anyway, guys, that is me done waxing lyrical about a Manchester United player
09:40 for a long time, I hope. But yeah, you have to say what you see. Play this team and I promise you,
09:45 England will cook. Beans. Everyone likes beans. I can't serve baked beans. Beans are pasta sauce.
09:51 Beans are not pasta sauce. They're tomatoey. Ketchup is tomatoey. That's not a pasta sauce.
09:57 It is when I make pasta. What the hell are you doing? I'm picking the beans out. With your
10:02 disgusting human fingers? Mashed. I can mash them. Right. We're getting somewhere. What are
10:08 you doing? I'm improvising. Good. It's like, whose pasta is it anyway? Yeah. How old are these? I
10:14 don't know. They're always good. Eggs, aren't they? Till they hatch. Are they? Don't forget to
10:19 subscribe though, guys. I've been Adam Monk. Enjoy the weekend as much as you can. It's an
10:24 international break and no one cares. Club football back next week though. So yeah,
10:29 that's something to look forward to. Anyway, yeah. See you soon. Goodbye.