Pundit Graeme Souness has stated that Kobbie Mainoo does not fully understand his midfield position, which he believes led to England manager Thomas Tuchel's decision not to play the Manchester United midfielder during the team's World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina. Souness defended Tuchel's tactical choices following England's 2-1 defeat, a match where critical substitutions were made after England took an early lead through Anthony Gordon.
Tuchel's decisions, including replacing Gordon with Ezri Konsa and shifting to a back five, have drawn criticism. During a ten-minute span between these changes, England's possession reportedly dropped to just nine percent, contributing to their inability to retain control of the game. Souness suggested on World Cup Uncensored that Tuchel felt compelled to make defensive changes due to a perceived lack of trust in Mainoo's ability to manage the midfield under pressure.
"He will have looked at his bench and gone 'I've got to make a change here,'" Souness said. "And this is where he is culpable, he has looked at his bench and gone 'Kobbie Mainoo, I'm going to put him on?' He's panicked and he's loaded it up because he is now thinking 'I've got a whole lot of the game, I can't get the game back and I've now got to nick the game by defending properly.'"
Mainoo, along with Trevoh Chalobah, has not yet featured in the tournament for England, despite injuries and illness affecting other midfielders like Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson. Tuchel had previously opted to move Reece James into a central midfield role during matches.
Souness addressed claims of bias against Mainoo, asserting that his critique stems from a tactical assessment. "Kobbie Mainoo is a young man who is really good with the ball, but does not know the position," Souness explained. "He doesn't know the position of trying to get that game back on side, he empties the midfield too soon. That's my dislike of Kobbie Mainoo at this moment in time."
Souness has previously voiced similar concerns regarding Mainoo's defensive awareness. In a February 2025 column for Daily Mail Sport, he compared Mainoo unfavorably to Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, stating Wharton had a "far better understanding of the defensive duties in the role than Mainoo." Souness elaborated that while Mainoo excels with the ball and can execute tricks and passes, he lacks the positional discipline in central midfield when his team is out of possession.
"Mainoo doesn't yet understand all the disciplines of the position but he's only 19. He can develop, with the proper guidance and instruction," Souness added. He reiterated his view that Mainoo plays an "off-the-cuff" style and appears not to have been coached in the specific requirements of a central midfielder when the team does not have the ball.