Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham are an elite midfield trio. As strong as anything in world football right now.
Prior to England’s clash with DR Congo, I could not see any way of splitting them up. What £100m player sits on the bench?
One flaw that has persisted over the past few games, however, has threatened to bring Thomas Tuchel’s juggernaut to a shuddering halt, just as it was gathering pace.
Composure on the ball has been conspicuous by its absence in England’s last three matches. With a nation expectant on the grandest stage of all, errant passing can be forgiven on occasion. The issue is, even against supposed lesser nations, England have not been able to exert control over games, limping over the line thanks to late moments of individual brilliance.
There is only one midfielder who has not kicked a ball yet this tournament. Ironically, he is the one who could be the solution to jittery England’s ills.
England’s secret weapon
“Nothing overawes Kobbie,” Gary Riley, a former scout who discovered Kobbie Mainoo as a youngster and has stayed close to him and his family throughout his career, tells The i Paper.
“That’s what makes him so special. It is all well and good having lots of talent, plenty do, but it is his calm temperament, and how he approaches any game the same, whether a youth match or a World Cup final, that sets him apart.”
All his family are here, dad Felix, brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames, of “Free Kobbie Mainoo” T-shirt fame, and others, attending games with their family name emblazoned on the back of England shirts.
Like Mainoo, they are not fazed by his constant omissions. They are having too much fun to be disheartened. There is, however, bewilderment among senior figures at Manchester United over Mainoo’s lack of game time, with even Jordan Henderson coming on ahead of him against Panama.
Nonetheless, it is not too late for Mainoo, who enjoyed a remarkable finish to last season after Ruben Amorim’s departure, to have an impact for England in this tournament.
United supporters will remember Mainoo’s display in front of the glare of the Kop in December 2023, one of his first senior appearances for his boyhood club at the age of 18.
There were fears it was a step too far for one so young, throwing him into the heart of midfield at the home of your greatest rivals, but Mainoo put in a man of the match display that belied his fledgling years. He was so laid back as he sashayed around Anfield that he was almost horizontal.
The ability to move the ball with finesse and guile in the tightest of spaces became his calling card – exactly the trait Tuchel needs right now.
What Mainoo offers
Mainoo can carry the ball in any part of the pitch. He is equally adept at picking passes on the edge of his own box as he is threading intricate through balls into the striker. Rice and Anderson can similarly fulfil such roles, we just have not seen it for the past three matches from either.
Rice is struggling for fitness. He insists his issues are more “pain than an injury”, but he is clearly not firing on all cylinders. At altitude in the Azteca, with the entire nation of Mexico willing you to fail, the Arsenal metronome may not have enough gas in the tank to go toe-to-toe with the resurgent co-hosts.
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Mainoo is out of match practice, but he always keeps himself in prime physical condition. After barely touching a ball for the first half of last season, he waltzed back into the United side following Michael Carrick’s arrival like a duck taking to water.
“He is so quiet and unassuming that he just doesn’t think about the occasion,” Riley adds. “Anything is in a day’s work. He would love to play in Mexico. Thomas Tuchel has a tough decision, but if he is needed, Kobbie would be ready.”
Tuchel is not afraid of making bold selections. This one might just save him his job and secure England one of their most famous victories. If you want composure in key areas, Kobbie Mainoo’s your man.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/vJHjNtp
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