United shocked the market by acquiring reigning European champions midfielder Casemiro. A tough-tackling playmaker who marked an era at the Santiago Bernabéu and became an idol.
United are stuck in a very bad run of form and needs help from wherever they can get it. In Casemiro they see someone who can boost their midfield to feed Bruno Fernandez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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The question here is, will Casemiro work at Old Trafford?
A vacuum cleaner in midfield.
The Brazilian’s quality is indisputable, his presence in midfield is omnipotent, and his power is great, but he is not only a destroyer, he has a lot of class at his feet and knows where to give the ball so that the team does not lose the offensive dynamic.
He is very tidy and doesn’t need to run a lot to position himself, but when he needs to make an effort he uses his physicality which is far too much, he runs tirelessly if needed. He is usually the balance of the team, reminiscent of Makelele, but with more football in his legs.
Casemiro arrived at Madrid in 2013 and after a short loan spell at Porto, where he matured a lot, he returned to Real Madrid where he became unquestionable. His work ethic and professionalism made Ancelotti or Zidane have him as the axis of the white team.
The perfect partner for Modric and Kroos. The Brazilian covers the whole of the field, making it easier for the team’s creative players, who are normally more offensive. He takes away offensive responsibility and allows them to play a little more freely.
This is not to say that the Croatian and the German don’t defend, they do very well, but with Casemiro, they have to do it less. The Brazilian is sometimes aggressive in the way he plays and gets yellow cards very easily for the violence with which he comes on.
He is not a dirty player, but he makes his presence felt. From minute one, his intensity is strong. Opposing players have a hard time getting past the defensive wall that the Brazilian has become.
In addition, in the attacking phase, he has an enviable long-range shot. Powerful finishing makes Casemiro an important weapon. He already proved it in the Champions League final against Juventus, where he scored with a long-distance strike.
He is also an aerial threat, has a good header, and his physicality makes him uncontrollable from corners and free kicks. Marking him is tricky, but taking the ball away from him is even more so.
How does he fit at United?
Ten Hag wanted Frenkie de Jong for that position. The idea was to have someone creative with defensive qualities. The Dutch coach’s idea is to attack and be aggressive, but when the Dutchman refused, they opted for the Brazilian.
Manchester United are playing with two defensive pivots at the moment. Fred and Eriksen, sometimes McTominay accompanies the Brazilian, but none of these combinations are working, and the Red Devils have a short circuit in the most complicated area of the pitch.
The balls are not getting to Bruno Fernandes and that is causing the Portuguese to drop deep to recover, and when he does, he has to go a long way to offend and give the ball to Ronaldo, who is practically isolated from the team’s play.
With Casemiro, Ten Hag could play with three in the middle to give all the responsibility of recovery to the Brazilian, and thus move Eriksen forward to play as a midfielder alongside Fernandes, emulating a bit of that Madrid midfield that brought so many results.
Playing like this, the idea is to bring Cristiano Ronaldo much closer to the game as the possession of the ball would be recovered in midfield and not in your own area. Besides, Casemiro knows the Portuguese perfectly well, this helps the dressing room to unite more, because at the moment it is a bit divided.
With the entry of Casemiro, Fred or McTominay would be the ones sacrificed in case you want to play with a line of three. But if you play with a double pivot, so that Bruno plays more freely behind the strikers, it also works.
Because Casemiro can accompany Fred, as they know each other well from the national team. He can also accompany Eriksen to free him up a bit and play more forward and the Dane can be his main outlet, or if he plays alongside McTominay, they could have a midfield wall.
Erik Ten Hag already has many options for the tactical design, and it remains to be seen how he adapts. What is clear is that Casemiro will not be afraid of the English play, because he is just as strong, if not stronger.
What does Madrid lose?
On paper, Madrid loses a lot. That defensive strength he used, to allow Modric and Kroos to play at their own pace. But the reality is that the Spanish team is building again and with Camavinga at full strength, they would not miss the Brazilian.
The young Frenchman has shown a lot of talent and class to recover. They say he could be the new Kanté so when Casemiro asked to leave, Madrid didn’t hesitate because they have his perfect replacement who will now have a much bigger role.
They also have the Uruguayan who can play in that position and Tchouameni, who also arrived as a replacement for Casemiro. Madrid loses a symbol, but they are well covered, so they won’t miss him.
Will the Brazilian midfielder work at United?
