26 Aug 2025 23:09:31
Quite a heated debate about Mainoo Amorim and Bruno.
What I don't understand is how you can say Mainoo is competing with Bruno. From. The admittedly less than ideal TV views I have seen Mainoo he doesn't seem to possess the passing range or vision of Bruno.
He also seems to do his best work on the edge or just inside the opponents box where his quick feet enable him to create chances for himself and sometimes others.
Mainoo is younger and will hopefully develop his all round game. He has had injuries and this has not helped his rhythm and fitness. Of he can be compared to anyone it's probably more to Mount. I would try to integrate him into the team by him sharing game time with
Mount.
The bigger issue is behind Bruno / Mount/ Mainoo. Casemeiro needs replacing. We need a really strong disciplined defensive midfielder who can last 90 minutes. A Keane / Robson type of player. Not easy to find but essential. Get that player on and it gives the attacking players more freedom to do what they do best.
27 Aug 2025 00:21:51
Just like to add that if there is any truth in the possibility of Mainoo going to Brighton whilst we get Baleba then I would welcome such with the proviso we had a sensible buy back clause for Mainoo.
27 Aug 2025 07:55:41
Robson wasn't a defensive midfielder, and nor was Keane until his later years. Why are we pigeon holing Mainoo, he is young and developing, and clearly very talented. RA ses to have decided X, and that's that.
Garnacho looked like a generational talent, and has lost his way. He may be a knob but the club also have some responsibility here, they had a jewel who will likely excel elsewhere.
Mainoo doesn't appear to be a knob, the Manager could have told him what he needs to work on but instead publicly dissed him. So another home grown talent being cast aside by a Manager.
Whatever else is happening in the background, the soul of our club has been ripped out.
27 Aug 2025 08:25:11
I thi k you partly hit 5he nail on the head with the major issue there.
27 Aug 2025 09:02:09
Ugarte is a "Keane" type of player. He's a midfield destroyer, someone who wins the ball back and plays it on to someone who can do more with the ball than he can. The issue with your squad now is that there's no one who can play that role, hence why Bruno is being a asked to drop back.
27 Aug 2025 09:52:20
Blasphemous to compare Ugarte to Keane on any level!
27 Aug 2025 11:07:27
Ugarte is a keane type of player, Lord have mercy.
27 Aug 2025 11:31:11
Ugarte is not a Keane type. Increasingly he looks like a jack russell that got onto to the pitch running around after the ball. Whatever promise he showed at Sporting is disappearing, and an over the hill Casemiro is performing far better in that role.
Peak Keane could do both Bruno and Ugarte’s roles, breaking up play and setting the passing tempo for the attack.
That’s what we should expect for players in a midfield two. A pair of players that can do what a midfielder should be able to do. The reason why the traditional 4-4-2 formation worked is that a midfielder was expected to do more than one thing. I feel like the modern obsession with special-ist players is dumb. The best central players will always be able to attack and defend. Valverde and MacAlister are prime examples. They defend well, and contribute to the attack. Anything less than that won’t work in Amorim’s system.