On August 13, the Gtech Community stadium of Brentford, Man Utd was beaten by the host with a score of 0-4. That day, Casemiro witnessed it all. He is also a transfer target of the “Red Devils”.
A message sent by Casemiro to the agent. It’s not a rejection (joining Man Utd). Instead, the message the Brazilian midfielder wants to send to the club is that he will “fix” it. A sign of the confidence of the five-time Champions League winner.
Casemiro said it and did it
Nine months after the confident message “fixed” the problem of Man Utd, the former Real Madrid star proved himself to be the smartest contract Manchester City’s representative has ever made in a decade. No one can dispute this.
However, Casemiro initially arrived at Man Utd with a lot of skepticism. Will he still have enough motivation after 9 years of being full of titles at Real Madrid? Can you adapt quickly enough to the English football environment?
How will Casemiro overcome the language barrier? Is a 30-year-old defensive midfielder really worth $60 million and earning $435,000 a week?
After all, the answer is definitely yes.
Gary Neville, a former Man Utd man, now owes Casemiro an apology. The legend of the Old Trafford team was wrong to think that this player is an unwise contract of the “Red Devils”.
The former England defender once commented: “Man Utd’s project is a priority for future investments, for young players. And then they brought in a 30-year-old midfielder for £ 60, 70 million. . It’s not a smart investment overall.”
Erik ten Hag is no fool to know who Casemiro is, how old, and what major titles he’s won. However, the Dutch strategist understands that a team that wants to grow needs a balance and an equal combination of young and old players.
Putting everything on young players is a risky gamble. Man Utd is lacking in class players, true champions, who have leadership qualities in the dressing room. With Casemiro, Ten Hag will solve more than just tactical problems on the pitch.
Erik ten Hag was very pleased with Casemiro’s performance. Photo: Reuters.
9 months have passed since the day Casemiro set foot on the smooth green grass at Old Trafford, the quality of Man Utd has skyrocketed. Leaving aside Erling Haaland, Casemiro is the signing with the biggest impact on English football this season. Ten Hag said that the performance of the former Real Madrid star exceeded expectations.
“He keeps surprising you. Casemiro is an excellent player,” said Ten Hag.
Man Utd prepare to enter the FA Cup final. Opponent is Man City. To point out the most important card that can decide the success or failure of Man Utd at the moment, it is Casemiro. Very simply, the “Red Devils” have a very different shape when there is a 30-year-old midfielder and vice versa.
Casemiro started 24 of Man Utd’s 38 matches this season, coming on as a substitute four times. According to WhoScored, the “Red Devils” conceded less than one goal on average every time Casemiro was in the squad. Without him, this number increased to 1.5 goals.
Casemiro also averages 3.2 tackles per game in the Premier League, the third highest behind Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Tyler Adams (Leeds United).
Last season, Man Utd conceded 57 goals in the Premier League. With Casemiro in midfield this season, that number drops to 43 goals. Man Utd also won the right to return to the UEFA Champions League, winning the Carabao Cup.
There’s nothing wrong with saying that Casemiro is worth the $60 million Man Utd spent. A really “expensive” contract. More importantly, Man Utd has been searching for a top-class central midfielder for the past decade, spending a lot of money, and in the end, only Casemiro can meet expectations.
At the end of last season, Ten Hag soon realized that the middle axis of Man Utd with Scott McTominay and Fred was not a reliable fulcrum. Class, bravery, experience and leadership qualities are what they do not have. However, Ten Hag said that it is not easy for the team to fix the gap soon because there are very few candidates who match the team’s standards.
At the moment, Casemiro brings a lot of value to Man Utd. What Ten Hag wants, the Brazilian midfielder can provide.
“We know Casemiro as a player who is very good at organizing, judging situations, duels and pulling the team together. When holding the ball, Casemiro’s ability to distribute passes and finish is also very important. important”, the Dutch strategist said about the student.
The great value of Casemiro
Man Utd spent $ 60 million to have a midfielder who won the Champions League 5 times. A star with a winning spirit exists. Warriors always aspire and have a burning passion to conquer challenges. Not many new Man Utd signings have this in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Together with Raphael Varane, Casemiro raised Man Utd’s level, turning the team into a force that was hard to beat. Although the “Red Devils” have not been able to catch up with Man City in terms of class and perfection in gameplay, this does not disappoint the fans. Man Utd was right to recruit Casemiro. An important and right move on the journey to restore the brilliant aura of the team.
With Casemiro, Man Utd solved many problems on the field and in the dressing room. Photo: Reuters.
Before the FA Cup final, Varane said that to play for Man Utd it is not enough with talent alone, players need something different, fighting spirit, shouldering responsibility, never hiding avoid on the field and be ready to face any challenge.
That is also the mentality Man City built under Pep Guardiola, the strategist is leading the team to the historic treble. With Man Utd, they are restarting everything and Casemiro is one of the first bricks in the ambition to restore the team’s authority.
In the FA Cup final, Man City was more appreciated by experts than Man Utd. They have a team of quality players who are in high form. Except for Casemiro, Varane, the remaining positions of “Red Devils” are completely unable to compare with “The Citizens”.
However, Man Utd has the right to believe that Casemiro will become a card that makes the difference. The task of the Brazilian midfielder at Wembley is very important, he must show himself as an iron shield in front of the defence. The whole team also needs to support the former Real Madrid star.
When creating solidity in the defense, Man Utd can expect a surprise from Casemiro, who has a high header against Chelsea, Newcastle or “returns the table” to hit Bournemouth. It was an important goal to help Man Utd achieve what the club wanted.
With Man Utd, success or failure in the FA Cup final will depend a lot on Casemiro. “He can control the game wonderfully,” said Man Utd centre-back Victor Lindelof. “With or without the ball, it’s all very quality.”
Di Cam | 17:00 03/06/2023
