The urge to linger on Kobbie Mainoo’s very un‑English piece of midfield play was understandable. So much hope was packed into the moment when Mainoo took the ball on the half‑turn, got his head up, weighed up the simple pass back to Ezri Konsa and then decided against the safe option.
Here he was: England’s answer to Luka Modric, their very own Andrea Pirlo, a talent with the technique and ability to beat the press, control the tempo and cut opponents open by seeing the kind of openings that simply would not occur to the other players hoping to fill the third spot in Gareth Southgate’s midfield.
It was time to believe the hype.
England were 15 minutes into their friendly with Belgium, and they were rocking. John Stones was already off the pitch, a twinge in his groin forcing his early departure. Jordan Pickford had given away the opening goal by sending a clearance straight to Amadou Onana, who teed up Youri Tielemans for a nice finish from 20 yards. Lewis Dunk and Konsa were teetering at centre-back. Southgate’s entire first-choice back four was unavailable and Jérémy Doku was threatening to run riot down Belgium’s left flank.
The mood was flat. Mainoo lifted it. He is not like other English midfielders. He does not panic when he receives possession in a tight spot. His second touch is not a tackle and he does not try to win plaudits by wasting energy on chasing down hopeless causes. Mainoo makes opponents chase him. If he finds space he dribbles into it and changes the angle of the attack.
England have been crying out for that kind of composure for a long time. Nobody could look at Mainoo sparking the move that led to Ivan Toney’s penalty by linking with Jude Bellingham after producing a gorgeous little spin away from Tielemans, and fail to conclude that the Manchester United midfielder has to be part of Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.
That debate is surely over after the youngster’s excellence on his first start for his country; the only question now is whether he has done enough to start in the summer.
Inevitably, the clamour will grow, Mainoo-mania building after this 2-2 draw with Belgium. Southgate, who has cautioned against hyping up a player who has only 14 Premier League starts to his name, could easily go down the safer route. He could turn to the energy of Conor Gallagher, even though the Chelsea midfielder lacks Mainoo’s composure on the ball. He could find a spot for Jordan Henderson’s experience next to Bellingham and Declan Rice. He could even find a way back for Kalvin Phillips.
It is no secret that Southgate’s ideal is to play a double pivot behind Bellingham. He craves stability and has resisted calls to put another attacking player next to Bellingham. He is unlikely to drop a defensive player just so he can bring Phil Foden or James Maddison into the middle.
Yet Mainoo is different. A cross between a No 6 and a No 8, he gives England a different dimension. He can thread passes between the lines, as he did during an increasingly accomplished first half. He can nutmeg players, as Onana found out as half-time approached, and he can handle himself. Southgate will have liked the moment when Mainoo reacted to a pass being cut out by crunching into challenges on Onana and Doku. He will have loved the pressing on Onana that led to a chance for Bellingham.
What he will not have liked, though, is England’s defensive crisis deepening. The attack was not a concern. Toney did well on his first start and will be confident of muscling Ollie Watkins out of the squad after scoring from the spot. Jarrod Bowen, dangerous on the right and unfortunate to have a header disallowed, was full of invention. Foden was menacing when he moved inside from the left. Only wasteful finishing stopped England from winning. They deserved to level through Bellingham in added time.
But there were worries at the other end. England were already without Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw before this game. Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Levi Colwill and Marc Guéhi are also out. They could have done without Stones limping off. Belgium would expose a lack of quality cover at the back, not least when Dunk’s slip allowed Romelu Lukaku to set up Tielemans to make it 2-1 with a header at the back post.
The harsh reality is that Dunk, who was also at fault for Brazil’s winner at the weekend, has failed his audition. Joe Gomez would also have a tough time against Doku and while Konsa fared better in the middle, Ben Chilwell remains unconvincing on the left.
Ultimately, nobody wins a tournament without a solid defence. There is enviable flair in attack and Mainoo’s emergence in midfield is exciting. But Southgate desperately needs Shaw, Walker, Maguire and Stones to be fit.
