Dimitar Berbatov on Kobbie Mainoo being left on the bench again for England’s FIFA World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
🗣️ “I honestly cannot understand this anymore. It’s becoming embarrassing. If you’re not prepared to trust Kobbie Mainoo with even one single minute at a World Cup, then why did you bring him in the first place? What exactly was the point? He’s spent the entire tournament watching football instead of playing it, and that’s a complete waste of one of England’s brightest young talents.”
“Managers always talk about believing in young players, but words mean absolutely nothing when your actions say the opposite. Mainoo has trained every day, stayed professional, waited patiently and still hasn’t been rewarded with a single minute. That’s incredibly harsh and, in my opinion, completely disrespectful to a player who has done nothing wrong.”
“You don’t build confidence by making a player sit on the bench for an entire World Cup. You build confidence by trusting him when the team needs energy, composure and fresh ideas. Instead, England have treated one of their most gifted midfielders like he doesn’t even exist.”
“If the coaching staff never believed he was capable of helping this team, then they should have left him at home and given his place to someone else. At least that player would have understood the situation. Taking Mainoo to the World Cup just to let him collect splinters on the bench is impossible to defend.”
“And if England don’t reach the final, don’t be surprised when people start questioning every decision. Because leaving a midfielder with Kobbie Mainoo’s talent without a single appearance throughout the entire tournament is the kind of decision that follows a manager for years. It’s difficult to explain, impossible to justify and incredibly unfair on the player.”
🚨| BREAKING: Speed sends a desperate message to Lamine Yamal ahead of the Spain vs Argentina World Cup Final
“LAMINE, PLEASE BEAT ARGENTINA… SAVE ME! If Messi wins the World Cup, I won’t have anything left to say as a Ronaldo fan.” 😭😭😭
Tuchel is such a fucking coward. You were going toe to toe with them and preventing shots at goal, and decided to give up the game after the one goal lead. It’s so frustrating.