{"id":1425184,"date":"2026-01-19T16:12:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T16:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1425184"},"modified":"2026-01-19T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T16:12:02","slug":"tactical-analysis-kobbie-mainoo-man-utd-vs-man-city","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-kobbie-mainoo-man-utd-vs-man-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Kobbie Mainoo analysis: How the Man Utd midfielder dominated the Manchester Derby and revived his Old Trafford future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-united\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester United<\/a> fans must have breathed a sigh of relief when the Manchester Derby lineup was announced.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not because they continued in a 4-2-3-1 setup. Rather, in terms of personnel. Despite starting the 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat to Brighton, Kobbie Mainoo kept his place in midfield. The youngster partnered Casemiro at the base. It was his first league start of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-4-2-3-1-system-benefitted-mainoo-and-united\" data-level=\"3\">4-2-3-1 system benefitted Mainoo and United<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-mainoo-s-defensive-work-allowed-fernandes-to-flourish\" data-level=\"3\">Mainoo&#8217;s defensive work allowed Fernandes to flourish<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-too-late-for-england-push\" data-level=\"3\">Too late for England push?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ruben Amorim, for one reason or another, opted to ostracise Mainoo. With a lack of domestic and continental competition, the 20-year-old was cast aside by the Portuguese boss. This was a player who\u2019d been influential in England\u2019s run to the Euro 2024 final. Amorim saw fit to pair Casemiro with Bruno Fernandes in his three-man backline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-2-3-1-system-benefitted-mainoo-and-united\">4-2-3-1 system benefitted Mainoo and United<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A back-to-basics 4-2-3-1 system has presented Mainoo with the perfect chance to reclaim his starting spot. He grabbed with the opportunity with both hands in a fine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-man-utd-vs-man-city-17-01-26\/\">Manchester Derby<\/a> display. Having flirted with the chance to leave his boyhood club in pursuit of regular game time elsewhere \u2013 Napoli were known admirers \u2013 the possibility of a January exit has quickly diminished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, the likelihood is that Mainoo has re-emerged as a first team regular under Michael Carrick. In Saturday\u2019s lunchtime kick off, he dominated in the middle of the park. The likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Rodri barely got a sniff. The former was hauled off at the break for Rayan Cherki. Between the quartet, they created just two chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Admittedly, City dominated proceedings. Indeed, they managed a 68.2% possession share at Old Trafford. They did little with the ball, however. Despite 35 touches in the opposition box, they fashioned just one shot on target. City failed to create a big chance. Mainoo was a key reason behind their inability to break down this United rearguard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fernandes was the star man for the Red Devils yet it was Mainoo\u2019s defensive diligence that enabled the United skipper to push forward and hurt City. The young midfielder made three tackles at Old Trafford, the joint-second most for Carrick\u2019s side. No United player made more interceptions (2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mainoo-s-defensive-work-allowed-fernandes-to-flourish\">Mainoo&#8217;s defensive work allowed Fernandes to flourish<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The notable reading of the game enabled the Manchester giants to quickly transition from defence to attack. United forged four chances following a counter-attack against City on Saturday. It was their most in a Premier League game since a 2-1 win at Luton in February 2024 (5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evidently, United\u2019s aim was to spring forward quickly to catch City off guard. The Cityzens looked exhausted as they played their sixth game in the space of 17 days. Getting upfield at speed enabled United to carve City apart. Ensuring Fernandes saw as much of the ball as possible was key in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Portugal international ranked top for both touches (65) and chances created (6) for United. Second for the former was Mainoo (51). In addition, Mainoo ranked joint-top for completed passes (32) while a pass accuracy of 91.4% was third of all United starters. The player Mainoo passed to most in the Manchester Derby? Fernandes, of course, doing so eight times. It was the highest player-to-player pass-return for United in the Manchester Derby.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1425189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026-32x40.jpg 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/19160307\/MainooManchesterDerby_19012026.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early days, of course, but Saturday\u2019s game marked a positive return to the United side. That he was marginalised by Amorim speaks volumes of his managerial approach. Mainoo, ultimately, had the last laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-too-late-for-england-push\">Too late for England push?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And as United now have ample time to prepare for their looming trip to Arsenal, the expectation will be that Mainoo keeps his place in the side. The Gunners, despite sitting seven points clear at the top of the table, have looked a little out of sorts in recent weeks. Cracks aren\u2019t necessarily beginning to show but they haven\u2019t looked as steadfast as they once did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should United leave the Emirates with a point, or three, then murmurs of an England return will undoubtedly start to do the rounds. The likelihood is that it is too little, too late for Mainoo to make the World Cup squad. However, with one final international break to go between now and the 2026 showpiece, a few more performances like that one fans witnessed in the Manchester Derby would certainly aid his cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas Tuchel isn\u2019t short of central midfield options, and Mainoo is behind Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Jordan Henderson in the pecking order. Yet, Tuchel called upon the uncapped Alex Scott for the November fixtures. There is clearly a spot for another midfielder in the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same can be said of Curtis Jones, Conor Gallagher and Morgan Gibbs-White. If Mainoo repeats his Manchester Derby showing over the coming weeks, however, then it\u2019ll hard to overlook the United star. Baby steps, of course, but the return to the squad and showing at Old Trafford were ones in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n    <div class=\"sq-articles-list\">\n        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                                                          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/guilhermemirra\/\" class=\"sq-card__link\">\n                                    Guilherme Mirra                                <\/a>\n                                                        <time class=\"sq-card__label\">4 days ago<\/time>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/article>\n                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester United fans must have breathed a sigh of relief when the Manchester Derby lineup was announced. Not because they continued in a 4-2-3-1 setup. Rather, in terms of personnel. Despite starting the 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat to Brighton, Kobbie Mainoo kept his place in midfield. The youngster partnered Casemiro at the base&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1425185,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Kobbie Mainoo analysis after his standout Manchester Derby display, showing how the Man Utd midfielder reclaimed his place and shaped the win over City.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1425184","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kobbie Mainoo analysis: How the Man Utd midfielder dominated the Manchester Derby and revived his Old Trafford future | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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