KOBBIE MAINOO has shown he is the player that England need to build their midfield — and their team — around.
That’s what I felt as it looked like we were slipping to defeat.
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CHECK out all the best action from England’s rollercoaster Euro 2024 last-16 win over Slovakia.
I know he was not on the pitch when our goals went in.
But until that unbelievable comeback, Mainoo was our best player.
He has a fearlessness and an instinct to do the right things at the right times that seemed to be lacking for so much of the game.
Mainoo alongside Declan Rice gives England better structure. In theory, at least, because for so long it didn’t look like that.
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You can have any structure you like but if a team, individually and collectively, lacks confidence, you cannot use that structure effectively.
A fear can creep in. A fear of failing. A fear of losing the ball.
It is partly because of his age that Mainoo does not have that, or appears not to have it.
This was his first start in a major tournament. He does not know what it is like to have a bad one.
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But it is also because of how he has been coached and you can see those hours of work, combined with his talent, in how he plays.
If Mainoo receives the ball under pressure, he can pop it off with one touch.
If there is time to take a second, then he will. He is happy to give, to receive, to play the one-two. To hold, or to make forward runs.
He just seems to make the right choices most of the time.
It took Mainoo a while to grow into the first half. His early yellow card won’t have helped but he coped with that well, too.
You could see his confidence grow and it was great to see him taking responsibility at the end of a poor first half for England.
He ran with the ball, tried to make something happen and had one of our few shots of the half.
Mainoo is happy to give and receive the ball but England weren’t being brave enough. It is a theme of the tournament so far and brings us back to the lack of confidence.
Mainoo impact
When you are feeling that, it is easy to play the safe ball rather than risk giving it away.
But sometimes it is OK to lose the ball because Slovakia or other teams think they have possession and open up a bit.
That’s when counterpressing comes in, you win the ball back quickly and exploit the spaces.
We have the profile of players to do it. Rice and Mainoo are really good at that side of the game.
But our pressing was not working properly again.
In the first half especially, we were pressing up front but our backline was sitting too deep.
Need to control games
You have to keep the distances between your players smaller. It left a huge amount of space for Rice and Mainoo to cover and Slovakia exploited that really well.
Slovakia also defended brillliantly until stoppage time and England just didn’t look like scoring.
We had lots of set pieces but without Harry Maguire, we didn’t look a threat.
Jude Belligham’s equaliser, even though it was brilliant, came from a desperate last-gasp long throw.
If we want to win this tournament, starting with the quarter-final against Switzerland, we will need to control games better.
How Mainoo helps Rice
Mainoo has the qualities to give us that — provided those around him can match his bravery and composure.
He can be a great foil for Rice and allow him to play the more attacking role he does for Arsenal.
In a team where Harry Kane wants to drop into midfield, and Phil Foden wants to cut inside, he offers the ability to pick a pass, or to run in behind himself.
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Mainoo is the kind of midfielder England have been crying out for for a long time.
He can be the glue that holds together this team for the rest of the tournament and well into the future.
England ratings: Bellingham rescues woeful Three Lions as big names, and manager, have a shocker
JUDE BELLINGHAM’S majestic overhead kick deep into stoppage time saved England from a humiliating Euros exit.
Gareth Southgate’s side had been utterly woeful and looked to be heading home thanks to Ivan Schranz’s clever finish.
But Bellingham came to the rescue in the 96th minute, brilliantly firing into the corner after Marc Guehi had flicked on Kyle Walker’s long throw.
Remarkably, it was England’s first shot on target, summing how poor they had been.
But another one came soon after, as 53 seconds into extra-time, Harry Kane headed home from close range to set up a quarter-final with Switzerland.
It was as close a shave as it comes, and if they play like this against the Swiss, then they will be toast.
Here’s how Tom Barclay rated England’s stars… and manager Southgate.
Jordan Pickford: 5
Appeared to hurt his left hand when taking a big whack in the warm-up, but still played. Fired a lot of long balls and was lucky not to be lobbed by David Strelec’s 45-yard strike.
Kyle Walker: 4
England’s second-most experienced player had a shocker. He looked uncharacteristically slow, his touch was heavy and his crossing was nowhere near good enough. But it was his long throw that led to Bellingham’s magic.
John Stones: 4
Said it was time for the senior pros to step up in the build-up to the game, but there was little sign of that until Bellingham did his thing, and he is only 21. Stones fired aimless long balls, gave it away and it was his mistake that almost led to Strelec’s trying his luck from range.
Marc Guehi: 5
Booked early after Kieran Trippier’s underhit pass meant he had to take out the excellent David Strelec, meaning he is out of the quarter-final. Ivan Schranz bamboozled him for Slovakia’s opener but his flick-on to Bellingham brought the leveller.
Kieran Trippier: 4
When Jude Bellingham’s good ball found Trippier on the edge of the box early doors, on his favoured right foot, you thought, ‘Here we go’. He smashed it into Row Z.
Declan Rice: 5
An old-school reducer on Juraj Kucka was a fair tackle, even if it left the 37-year-old hobbling. His curling effort with ten minutes to go cracked against the post.
Kobbie Mainoo: 6
FIRST start at a major tournament and our only decent performer in an horrendous first half from England. Blasted a volley over but was also booked for a late tackle.
Bukayo Saka: 5
We all know what a fantastic player Saka is for Arsenal, and for England in games gone by, but he rarely threatened here. Did go the distance though, and in a number of positions.
Jude Bellingham: 7 and STAR MAN
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. He had underwhelmed again until the 96th minute, but who cares when you step up like that.
Phil Foden: 4
Thought he had levelled early in the second half but his tap-in was ruled out by VAR after he was caught being, inexplicably, offside. Just off it all night, in danger of being dropped.
Harry Kane: 6
Still way off his best – he was nowhere to be seen in the first half and missed a free header after the break – but got it right when it counted in extra time.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Cole Palmer (on for Kieran Trippier, 66): 7
FANS were on their feet applauding when Southgate finally made a change and brought him on. So lively and with a lovely delivery, must be in with a chance of starting against the Swiss.
Eberechi Eze (on for Kobbie Mainoo, 84): 6
Did enough to put off Slovak full-back Peter Pekarik from turning home at close range in extra-time. Looked like he had been hit by a train when Denis Vavro walloped into him.
Ivan Toney (on for Phil Foden, 90): 7
GRABBED the assist for Kane’s winner by flicking on after a free-kick – which he had won with his strength – had been cleared.
Conor Gallagher (on for Harry Kane, 105): 6
Southgate rolled the dice in extra-time by trying to shut the game out, taking his captain off for the Chelsea midfielder.
Ezri Konsa (on for Jude Bellingham, 105): 6
Ditto to Gallagher as Konsa got his first minutes of the tournament in place of the hero Bellingham, which felt a risky strategy.
MANAGER
Gareth Southgate: 3.
A lucky, lucky man. Tactically, his team were all long ball, lacked any movement, and did not conjure up a shot on target until Bellingham’s wonder strike – and that came from Walker chucking it in the mixer. Subs took ages in the 90 and then felt risky as he sought to see the game out in extra-time.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
