Set up to fail
Kobbie Mainoo is the latest Manchester United player to be swamped in a dysfunctional system
Kobbie Mainoo’s goal against Liverpool was special. With a dash of Federico Macheda Roy Of The Rovers romance, it was curled into the far corner to cue pandemonium at Old Trafford, the academy graduate wheeling away in ecstasy.
It deserved its own landmark moment as a Manchester United winner against Liverpool in front of the Stretford End, having made it 2-1 in a game United had no right to be leading.
In the same way that the three sensational three goals scored against Chelsea could, and should, have been part of a barnstorming away win, this iteration of United denies itself such moments. They teeter on the edge of glory but lack the composure and ruthlessness to see through such triumphs.
They imploded in added time at Stamford Bridge. They switched off at Brentford after Mason Mount’s would-be/could-be/should-be winner. They conceded a sloppy equaliser to Liverpool, ending up with a point – which was still a robbery – when three could have been snatched.
If the denouement to the Chelsea game had United fans tearing their hair out in fury, the longer and more damaging frustration should centre around Mainoo and the current use of the youngster.
Let’s put it in simple terms. Mainoo is not seeing enough of the ball.
The statistics bear this out, with Mainoo averaging 33.6 passes per game in his 17 Premier League appearances so far. This is largely due to the chaotic style of football that United play under Erik ten Hag, as has been well documented in recent weeks.
Whether you think Mainoo is a No.6 or a No.8, a holder, a destroyer, a runner or a passer (he could be all of them, by the way), he is already one of United’s best players and needs to be heavily involved in every game he plays.
Ten Hag’s high-pressing, low-blocking, anti-midfield football will not get the best from the 18-year-old – especially not with the increasingly slow and erratic Casemiro beside him. This is not to say United need to play slow possession football just to suit Mainoo, but that he’s a player who likes get on the ball and dictate the tempo of a game. And neither of those things are possible right now.
This has felt like a common theme at the club for some time.
United aren’t making the most of their best players; they’re not wasting their talents as such, but they lack an element of poise and potency at key times and with key players. They can’t defend after scoring a big goal to see out a win. They can’t dominate for longer than 15 or 20 minutes. They’re filling up a Ferrari’s engine with candy floss.
On a tactical level on the pitch, this means Mainoo – the latest to succumb – spends too much time chasing shadows up and down midfield when he should be on the ball. Bruno Fernandes wanders out of position and misses opportunities to play his killer pass. Rasmus Hojlund is a burgeoning centre-forward who has been provided with fewer goalscoring chances than Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke this season. Mount’s best position remains a mystery to everyone. Alejandro Garnacho is being substituted when he still looks fresh and dangerous.
It’s easy to pin this all on the manager. Yet it shouldn’t be a surprise that Ten Hag has fallen victim to the same trope as his players and the club as a whole. His decision-making has been that of a man whose head is spinning under pressure.
Just as United under-perform off the pitch, with regards to recruitment, the stadium and its executive structure, so – logic suggests – will the manager and the players on an individual level … therefore the team will crumble in key moments. It’s not set up to guarantee success.
United have thrown away leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 2-1 to gather just two points from their past three matches. Kobbie Mainoo isn’t getting enough of the ball. Erik ten Hag isn’t making good decisions. All these things are linked.
United supporters can only hope a new owner and a new structure will change it for the better.
Dominic Booth
Good article,