Youri Tielemans hasn’t joined up with Man Utd yet, but when he does, he needs to make Kobbie Mainoo his pet project.
Under Michael Carrick, Kobbie Mainoo is already the first name on the teamsheet, but nobody would mistake him for a complete player.
This point is especially pertinent after Mainoo wasn’t given a single minute by Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup.
While that decision is indefensible, Mainoo also has one glaring weakness that is Youri Tielemans‘ biggest strength. Some knowledge transfer is needed.
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Youri Tielemans needs to work on Kobbie Mainoo’s long-passing
A lack of athleticism and defensive nous have been touted as reasons behind Mainoo’s exclusion by his managers, but the problem lies somewhere else.
Those reasons are lazy and simplistic, because Mainoo has improved leaps and bounds in those areas.
Where he needs to improve next is his long-passing acumen, particularly balls over the top and switches of play.
Currently, Mainoo is someone who can act as a pressure-release valve for his team, carrying the ball through closed spaces with his dribbling skills and evading tackles.
He is a brilliant ball carrier, but he’s not exactly a reliable ball progressor through his passing.
Most of his passes are short one-twos to evade the press, something which is invaluable in its own right.
However, in Tielemans, he will soon be joined in training by a player who is among the very best in England when it comes to long passing.
Tielemans’ style of play is more reliant on progression via passing rather than carrying, which makes his style more similar to Bruno Fernandes instead of Mainoo.
He needs to work with Mainoo and help the youngster improve his long passing, because a midfielder who can do both carry and pass is simply unstoppable.
That education includes body positioning, passing angles, elevation and zip in the ball, and identifying the perfect recipient.
Sometimes, a smart switch of play gets the team in a much better position than dribbling out of a sea of bodies, and if Mainoo can do both, he becomes the complete midfielder.
He could have learned this from Fernandes as well, but the zone in which Fernandes plays those passes is different, so it requires a different skill set.
Tielemans does it from the exact same zone as Mainoo, making him the perfect teacher.
Andrey Santos, Tielemans, and Mainoo cover every aspect
Add Andrey Santos to the mix, and it’s clear that every aspect of ball progression is covered.
WHO will be Man Utd’s THIRD midfielder signing to go with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans? Who do you want?
Which midfielder do you think would fit United's rebuild best? What do we need next?
Mainoo is the ball carrier, Tielemans is the long passer, while Santos is the ground-passer who breaks lines with zipped deliveries.
United have covered all three aspects of ball progression, leaving Michael Carrick with plenty of tactical options he can take depending upon the opposition.
Just a duel-winner/ground-eater midfielder is needed to complete the midfield, because that trio lacks the elite defensive acumen necessary to sweep up opposition attacks.
Seeing Mainoo’s age, it won’t be a surprise if he becomes an unstoppable modern midfielder in three years’ time after learning from the very best in the game.
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