Paul Scholes doesn’t hold back often, but when he does, it usually lands. This time his target is Thomas Tuchel and the weird way the England manager is handling Kobbie Mainoo at the World Cup.
Mainoo still hasn’t touched the pitch for England in this tournament. He’s the only midfielder in the squad who can say that, and it’s starting to look less like a tactical decision and more like a statement. Tuchel left him on the bench again against DR Congo even though England looked shaky in midfield for long stretches. The Three Lions won 2-1, but only because Harry Kane bailed them out with two second-half finishes after Brian Cipenga had put Congo ahead.
That win clinched a spot in the knockout round, which means England now faces Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday. A knockout game at altitude against a fired-up host nation is not exactly the ideal setting to blood a kid who hasn’t played a competitive minute in a month.
Scholes made that exact point on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football. Nicky Butt started it, saying England probably need to open up the midfield against Mexico and that Mainoo or Eberechi Eze could help. Scholes shut that down fast.
“There’s no way he’s going to play Kobbie Mainoo, he’s never going to do that, no chance!” Scholes said.
When asked why Tuchel even brought Mainoo if he wasn’t going to use him, Scholes just shrugged it off. “I don’t know.” Then he got to the real concern.
“But do you know what? It would probably be the wrong thing to do for Kobbie now. He’s been out there for three or four weeks but he’s not played a game. Imagine if all of a sudden he’s got to come in. It’s probably not fair on Kobbie to ask him to come in now.”
That’s the trap Tuchel built for himself. Either he benches Mainoo for the entire tournament and wastes a roster spot, or he throws him into a knockout game cold and hopes the kid can handle it. Neither option looks great.
Scholes also had sharp words for the way England is playing overall. He said the football is bad, which is not what anyone expected when the FA hired a manager known for attacking style at Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
“We brought Thomas Tuchel in because he’s been at big clubs and played brilliant football. But I feel like we’ve made him into an English manager,” Scholes said. He pointed out that Cole Palmer and Phil Foden aren’t in their best form but called Mainoo and Eze the two most naturally gifted footballers Tuchel has in the squad. They’re both stuck on the bench.
The Mexico game kicks off at 11pm ET Sunday. England can advance without Mainoo, sure. But if they struggle again, the questions about why he’s even there will get louder. And if Tuchel does finally call his number, it might be the worst possible moment to ask a 21-year-old to save the day.
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