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Members of the Manchester United squad feel Casemiro’s struggles over the past twelve months are a “consequence of the club’s own struggles” and not solely down to the Brazilian midfielder’s decline.
Casemiro was ignominiously substituted at half-time of United’s last game – the 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The 32-year-old was responsible for both of the Merseyside club’s first-half goals, following back-to-back mistakes in the heart of midfield which gifted Liverpool attackers with possession in dangerous areas of the pitch. Luis Diaz, assisted twice by Mohammed Salah, ruthlessly combined to punish Casemiro’s mistakes and effectively put the game to bed before the first half had finished.
In response, Erik ten Hag replaced the five-time Champions League winning midfielder with Toby Collyer, a 20-year-old academy graduate making his Premier League debut.
The Dutchman explained the decision after the game as he felt his team “needed legs” in midfield; something Collyer could provide but Casemiro was unable to. It was a chastening moment for a player with as glittered a career as the Brazilian midfielder.
But, in football more than any other walk of life, time waits for nobody. It’s evident at 32 years of age, Casemiro has suffered a physical decline from the player who dominated European football at the Santiago Bernabeu. He is less mobile and less quick-footed than he was during his impressive first season at Old Trafford, often mistiming challenges or simply being bypassed in midfield.
As relayed by The Peoples Person here, these struggles have been recognised by the club’s coaching staff who believe the 32-year-old’s “legs have gone”. This decline, combined with the Brazilian’s exorbitant wage packet, is likely to have been the driving factors behind United’s preference to sell the midfielder this summer, if a suitable offer had presented itself.
None did so.
On the final day of the summer window, United confirmed the signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain. The 23-year-old Uruguay international is a natural replacement for Casemiro with a physical and technical skillset more suited to the system Ten Hag is seeking to implement at Old Trafford than his South American compatriot.
However, there are doubts over whether there is any midfielder capable of fulfilling the demands the Dutch manager is asking of his midfield unit.
Last season’s abysmal campaign was characterised by a bizarrely constructed gameplan, which saw the forward line press from the front while the defence dropped deep. This left the midfield with enormous gaps to plug without any support from either end of the pitch to do so.
Naturally, Casemiro struggled in this system, or lack thereof.
But, as Samuel Luckhurst (Manchester Evening News) reveals, the Brazilian’s teammates believe these struggles are a symptom of the team’s struggles, rather than simply his own.
“Teammates feel Casemiro’s decline at Manchester United has come as a consequence of the club’s own struggles. Dressing room sources say Casemiro, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, ‘didn’t sign up’ for a second season to attempt to qualify for the Champions League, which proved to be beyond United last term.”
Whether Casemiro ‘signed up’ to compete for Premier League and Champions League titles is irrelevant however, as the Brazilian’s inability to perform basic tasks in midfield mean he would not be starting for any club challenging for these honours.
And while there is undoubtedly valid criticisms of the manner in which Ten Hag sets up his midfield, there’s even more reasonable critiques of Casemiro’s performances. A ‘lack of legs’ does not explain either of the unforgivable mistakes the 32-year-old perpetrated at crucial moments in one of the biggest games of United’s season against the club’s bitterest of rivals.
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