Kobbie Mainoo Belum Dimainkan di Piala Dunia 2026, Legenda Inggris Berbeda Pendapat

Gelandang muda Manchester United, Kobbie Mainoo, belum mendapatkan satu menit pun bermain bersama timnas Inggris selama Piala Dunia 2026 di bawah asuhan Thomas Tuchel. Menjelang laga semifinal melawan Argentina, Mainoo menjadi satu dari tiga pemain outfield Inggris yang belum pernah diturunkan, bersama Trevoh Chalobah dan Ivan Toney.

Tuchel lebih memilih opsi lain di lini tengah, termasuk memasukkan bek kanan Reece James sebagai gelandang bertahan dan memainkan Jordan Henderson yang berusia 36 tahun dari bangku cadangan. Keputusan ini menuai reaksi beragam dari para legenda Inggris.

Mantan striker Inggris, Michael Owen, menyayangkan situasi tersebut namun menilai Mainoo masih berpotensi menjadi pahlawan tak terduga, seperti Geoff Hurst pada Piala Dunia 1966. "I do a little bit, because I think he's definitely got the ability to play a role in the World Cup. And who knows? Things change, you get unlikely heroes," ujar Owen. Ia mengingatkan bahwa momen terbaik Inggris saat juara Piala Dunia juga diwarnai kejutan ketika Hurst menggantikan Jimmy Greaves.

"Our greatest moment ever in this country, winning the World Cup, who would have thought Geoff Hurst would have been playing? Jimmy Greaves was the best thing since sliced bread. My dad just raves about Jimmy Greaves," kata Owen. Ia menambahkan bahwa laga melawan Argentina akan menjadi ujian sesungguhnya setelah Inggris melewati Norwegia dan Meksiko. "There will be, or there could be, a surprise. And it could be Mainoo, you can't switch off," tambahnya.

Di sisi lain, mantan gelandang Manchester United, Paul Scholes, justru berharap Mainoo tidak diturunkan di semifinal demi kebaikan sang pemain. "It seems like it's anybody but Kobbie Mainoo for Thomas Tuchel," kata Scholes dalam podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football. Ia heran dengan keputusan Tuchel yang terus mengabaikan Mainoo meski tidak ada masalah perilaku. "Only Tuchel will know why. I can't imagine Kobbie being a problem in the camp. Every manager has their favourites," jelas Scholes.

Scholes menilai mental dan kondisi Mainoo bisa terganggu jika dipaksakan tampil tanpa pemanasan. "I actually hope Kobbie Mainoo doesn't come on now because he's probably so down, he's not played and he's not kicked a football in a real game. He's been training, obviously, but if he goes in now the only thing he can do is bad," pungkasnya.

Pandangan serupa diutarakan legenda Manchester United lainnya, Nicky Butt. "It seems like it's anybody but Kobbie Mainoo for Thomas Tuchel at the minute," cetus Butt. Ia menyoroti keputusan Tuchel yang lebih memilih Reece James yang baru pulih dari cedera hamstring. "He's bringing Reece James on who hasn't played for three weeks because of a hamstring injury. Only Tuchel will know why," tutur Butt. Ia juga berharap Mainoo tetap di bangku cadangan. "Do you know something? I actually hope Kobbie Mainoo doesn't come on now. Because he's probably so down, he's not played and he's not kicked a football in a real game. He's not going to be at the level to go and play at that level in a semi-final. I hope he doesn't come on," tambah Butt.

Sementara itu, mantan bek Inggris, Stephen Warnock, justru ingin melihat Mainoo diturunkan sejak menit pertama menggantikan Declan Rice yang sempat bermasalah dengan kebugaran. "In midfield against Argentina, it will be Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham, then I think Thomas Tuchel will go with Declan Rice. However, just given the way Rice has played so far – and I'll get a lot of criticism for this – I think he's got to be a lot more progressive with his passing through the lines. I would personally prefer to see Kobbie Mainoo in there. He's a different type of player, who can also play on the edge in a big game. I'd like to see him start, but I think Tuchel will stick with Rice," ungkap Warnock.

Tuchel sendiri sempat menjelaskan keputusannya memasukkan Reece James sebagai gelandang saat Inggris mengalahkan Norwegia di perempat final. "Very good [on the subs], Reece James was excellent, Morgan Rogers was fantastic today, Ebs [Eze] grew into the game, Djed grew into the game. Full credit to them. But overall yeah, we got lucky today. It's about quality. We need to play better. We will get better," ujar Tuchel. Ia menambahkan bahwa eksperimen menempatkan James di lini tengah bertujuan memberi keleluasaan bagi pemain kreatif seperti Elliot Anderson dan Jude Bellingham. "We put in [Reece] James as a six, which freed up Elliot Anderson at the eight, and Jude back on the 10," jelasnya.

Sebelum turnamen, Mainoo sempat mengungkapkan masa sulitnya di level klub sebelum bangkit di bawah arahan Michael Carrick di Manchester United. "I mean, obviously there were difficult times. But I tried to keep my focus on what was in front of me, take things day by day and just keep working my craft, keep working hard for the team, and I hoped the rest would come. Thankfully it has," kenang Mainoo. Ia juga menyampaikan rasa terima kasih kepada Carrick. "Definitely, and I told him that I was very grateful. Because if he hadn't put me on the pitch, then I wouldn't have been here so, I'm always grateful to him for that," tuturnya.