[pacifictheme]

I think when receiving the ball deep you shouldn't be taking big risks. Recycling the ball there is important. His best work is in the final third for sure and generally he did a pretty good job there in a team that lacks energy.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

Generally agree with the rest, but it seems like where we're going next season is the following:

Onana, Shaw, Martinez, De Ligt, Dalot, Mainoo, Ugarte, Bruno, Garnacho, Amad, Hojlund.

(The attack could be constructed in other ways esp. with Zirkzee but I went with a Wide creator, inside forward, #9 for this example). Build up (3-2 structure) I assume will look something like:

------------ Ugarte ------- Mainoo ------------
------ Shaw --- Martinez --- De Ligt ------

De Ligt and Shaw will have the license to carry the ball and will defend the wide spaces in transitions. Both are really good at this - Shaw because he played LB and De Ligt because he did that for the Dutch team for example in a 3-5-2.

I think it will work just fine esp. with the role you outlined for Mainoo but curious to get your take.

I don't know if we're getting De Ligt and Ugarte over the line, but that lineup can be limited going forward. Ugarte is a dedicated ball winning DM who can carry the ball, but isn't really known for his passing or his vision. It means that if Mainoo is having a quiet game, we are going to also depend on Licha/De Ligt to progress play from the back - neither of whom are fast.

A template for opposition teams would be to give us the ball, squeeze out space for Bruno and our front three, aggressively mark Mainoo, and tenaciously press our high line. We'll lose the ball in risky areas and be susceptible to counters. That is how it can fail if Mainoo cannot play to his strengths.

On the flip side, Ugarte reduces defensive work for Mainoo, and De Ligt provides some quality on the ball alongside Licha - so on a good day Mainoo can run the show by bringing it all together from midfield.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I don't know if we're getting De Ligt and Ugarte over the line, but that lineup can be limited going forward. Ugarte is a dedicated ball winning DM who can carry the ball, but isn't really known for his passing or his vision. It means that if Mainoo is having a quiet game, we are going to also depend on Licha/De Ligt to progress play from the back - neither of whom are fast.

A template for opposition teams would be to give us the ball, squeeze out space for Bruno and our front three, aggressively mark Mainoo, and tenaciously press our high line. We'll lose the ball in risky areas and be susceptible to counters. That is how it can fail if Mainoo cannot play to his strengths.

On the flip side, Ugarte reduces defensive work for Mainoo, and De Ligt provides some quality on the ball alongside Licha - so on a good day Mainoo can run the show by bringing it all together from midfield.

Yeah it basically puts a TON of hopes on Martinez and Shaw being fit to help as progressive passers.

 

[Rozay]

I’ve said before but I still feel like his best work is in advanced positions. There’s a lot of an 8 in him, but I see him most as an 8+ sort of player. He really has a very poor engine in my view. He shares a lot of similarities to Pogba, neither of them have the attributes to do numerous short, sharp, shuffles around the midfield. Obviously without the height, but similar to Pogba and Yaya I’d say. They don’t have the engine for proper midfield grafting, and I suspect will always be a second too late to the ball or where they need to be.

I think even so far in this tournament, his best actions have been forward thinking and penetrative. Mainoo could well improve his running power with age, but he also isn’t the first young midfielder. Neves is the same age for example and you can see he covers ground better and has high intensity. Players like Gerrard had that at Mainoo’s age. It’s just not his physical profile from what I can see.

 

[bosnian_red]

I’ve said before but I still feel like his best work is in advanced positions. There’s a lot of an 8 in him, but I see him most as an 8+ sort of player. He really has a very poor engine in my view. He shares a lot of similarities to Pogba, neither of them have the attributes to do numerous short, sharp, shuffles around the midfield. Obviously without the height, but similar to Pogba and Yaya I’d say. They don’t have the engine for proper midfield grafting, and I suspect will always be a second too late to the ball or where they need to be.

I think even so far in this tournament, his best actions have been forward thinking and penetrative. Mainoo could well improve his running power with age, but he also isn’t the first young midfielder. Neves is the same age for example and you can see he covers ground better and has high intensity. Players like Gerrard had that at Mainoo’s age. It’s just not his physical profile from what I can see.

His engine is not really that different from someone's like Scholes or Xavi. He's definitely an 8, whether that's as a deep playmaker or an advanced playmaker, but that's not a problem in a midfield setup... you just need the right partner for him to have that aggressive ball winning. He can play as the most advanced in a 3 as well, but I don't think that'd be getting the most out of him really.

 

[Redivy]

I’ve said before but I still feel like his best work is in advanced positions. There’s a lot of an 8 in him, but I see him most as an 8+ sort of player. He really has a very poor engine in my view. He shares a lot of similarities to Pogba, neither of them have the attributes to do numerous short, sharp, shuffles around the midfield. Obviously without the height, but similar to Pogba and Yaya I’d say. They don’t have the engine for proper midfield grafting, and I suspect will always be a second too late to the ball or where they need to be.

I think even so far in this tournament, his best actions have been forward thinking and penetrative. Mainoo could well improve his running power with age, but he also isn’t the first young midfielder. Neves is the same age for example and you can see he covers ground better and has high intensity. Players like Gerrard had that at Mainoo’s age. It’s just not his physical profile from what I can see.

He doesn't have a poor engine. You're just describing a different profile of player.

Neves is a combative midfielder. Gerrard was the same. Mainoo is a playmaker.

I do think Mainoo has the potential to be an elite #6 when he becomes much older, as his reading of the game is truly excellent, but he would be a Carrick and not a Kante.

For the time being, Mainoo is like a Modric or young Scholes type.