Casemiro suffered yet another injury in Manchester United’s humiliating 3-0 loss to Newcastle United at the EFL Cup on Wednesday. The Brazilian had to be taken off after the first half and was replaced by Sofyan Amrabat.
This has been the trend for the 31-year-old Brazilian of late, as he has struggled to deal with injuries and his performance has also been underwhelming as a result.
Casemiro’s performance has been a reflection of that of his team
Casemiro was signed from Real Madrid last season, having won every possible title with the Spanish giants. He then enjoyed a very impressive debut season for Manchester United, which was also the first season in charge for Erik ten Hag.
Casemiro was arguably United’s best player last season along with Marcus Rashford as he helped his side finish third in the league and also won the EFL Cup. His assuring presence lent solidity to his team’s defense and his passing was also top-notch.
However, things have gone downwards this season, with the Brazilian failing to provide the assurance to United’s defense. As a result, the club keeps on conceding goals in almost every match. He lacked a proper defensive midfielder as a partner as neither Christian Eriksen nor Mason Mount served the purpose. That was the case until Amrabat was signed by the club.
Casemiro, however, still remains the highest goal-scorer for his club this season so far with four goals in 12 matches. Still, his tendency to venture forward in an attempt to score goals has often made the team suffer as far as their defense is concerned.
He should give emphasis on shielding the defense
Casemiro is probably past his prime as a player, and has slowed down somewhat with age. Hence, he is not fast enough at times to keep up with the pace of the opposition forwards. Hence, he probably should give more emphasis on staying inside his own half and guarding the defense by acting as an auxiliary center back.
The ineptness of Manchester United’s forward line is there for everyone to see. The likes of Rashford, Rasmus Højlund, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho have only five goals between them across all competitions so far this season, which is deplorable by any standard.
Hence, Casemiro has often tried to go up the pitch and also scored a few goals from set-pieces with headers. While all of that is very commendable, his goals should not come at the cost of hurting the defence of his team.
Way forward for him
Manchester United is going through yet another crisis at this moment, and the way out of it is not quite visible to anyone. However, with Amrabat now there to shoulder the responsibility, Casemiro should probably feel a little more comfortable in doing his job. Given the current scenario, a reunion with his former manager Zinedine Zidane, cannot be ruled out altogether.
United could also probably think of playing two midfielders (Amrabat and Eriksen) alongside him in a three-man midfield, and Bruno Fernandes just ahead of them in a 3-3-1-3 formation, which will enable someone like Eriksen play passes to the forwards from the deep. However, it remains to be seen whether coach Erik ten Hag decides to alter his tactics.