Gary Neville believes Kobbie Mainoo will 'want answers' from Thomas Tuchel after the Manchester United midfielder played zero minutes during England's World Cup campaign. The Three Lions' hopes of reaching their first World Cup final in 60 years were dashed in a dramatic 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina.
England's Semi-Final Collapse
Tuchel's side took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the second half, but negative tactical changes proved costly. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored late goals to overturn England's advantage and secure Argentina's place in the final. The inquest into England's tournament exit has already begun, with Tuchel vowing to remain in charge until Euro 2028 and defending his second-half substitutions.
Mainoo's Lack of Game Time
Mainoo and late replacement Trevoh Chalobah were the only two outfield players not to play a single minute during England's run to the semi-final. Speaking on The Overlap with Sky Bet after the defeat, Neville expressed bewilderment that Mainoo was not used, especially given Declan Rice's struggles with injury and illness throughout the tournament.
'Honestly, we were absolutely dead out on our feet,' Neville said. 'We couldn't get out of the box. We literally get pushed back, and then the midfield players sag back onto you because their legs have gone. I think the three of them (in midfield) were all absolutely out on their feet.'
He added: 'You look at today, Declan definitely, he's not been right since day one, has he? That's a big problem for us. Him not having the energy and the speed to get to the ball. We know what he's like; he's a fantastic player. Kobbie Mainoo would be asking a question, wouldn't he? You'd be wanting answers if you're Kobbie Mainoo after not coming on at all. Because he can handle the ball a bit as well.'
Neville's Criticism of Tuchel's Tactics
Neville also questioned Tuchel's decision to keep Harry Kane on the pitch while defending a 1-0 lead. 'I honestly think the real bold decision at 1-0 up was probably to take Harry Kane off,' he said. 'I said it earlier, if you want pace on the counter-attack in central areas, you've got to take off Jude Bellingham and Harry, or one of them, and bring on players like Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers up front.'
Overall Tournament Assessment
Reviewing England's overall performance, Neville noted that the team struggled against technically superior opposition under pressure. 'If we go back to pre-tournament, I think we all said the minute England come up against a team that's technically going to keep possession from us in the biggest, most pressurised moments, we're going to struggle,' he said. 'We've played Mexico, Norway and Congo DR — Mexico was a tough game, but this is the first team we've played at a real high level, and we've been found wanting the minute we've played a tough team. I think that's the closest you're going to get to a World Cup final — 85 minutes, one-nil up against Argentina, with a final within your grasp.'
