Casemiro, savior / Premier League / J20 / Manchester United-Manchester City / SOFOOT.com

When the former Madrid player arrived in the north of England, it was difficult to imagine the fairy tale he and his family are living today. After two heavy defeats against Brighton (1-2) and Brentford (4-0) in the opening two days of the Premier League, United looked closer to depth than the renewal Ten Hag embodied. However, after solving the Cristiano Ronaldo episode and crowning Marcus Rashford, Red devils as if they are returning to their previous formula. Fascinating play, impressive results (21 wins in 25 games after going down at Brentford), local luminaries in the headlines and an increasingly inspiring coach.

“I consider him the cement of the midfield. » Erik ten Haag

Nevertheless, the change in the trajectory of the Mancueniens corresponds to one phenomenon in particular: the integration of Casemiro into the eleven. After taking a few moments to think through September to find his rhythm and digest his manager’s thoughts, the Brazilian quickly established himself as a safe bet at Old Trafford. Since his first start against Everton in early October, Tank has started all ten of Manchester’s Premier League games. More surprisingly, the defensive midfielder was also decisive. To bury Cristiano Ronaldo by offering the decisive pass Sweets (2-1), pulling off an equalizer against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (1-1) or after a timid start to the match against Bournemouth (3-0)… Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro is now turning into a builder , this is proved by the words of his coach: “I consider him the cement of the midfield. »

Colossus with Silver Legs

Having been the bodyguard of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric at Madrid for 9 years, Casemiro has long been ‘The Beast’ behind Les Beaux. After a lot of hard fighting – not always allowed – and some trickery, the general public had put the sweeper in the must-have players box. But his budding romance across the Channel seems to be putting the dots back to the i’s. While those qualities on the ball weren’t always evident in a team full of talent and relative influence on the ball, things have changed since the arrival of Carlos Henrique Casimiro at the Theater of Dreams. Lined up alongside Christian Eriksen in the red’s double rotation of 4-2-3-1, Tank is undoubtedly the first provider of balance for his team, but he is also responsible for facilitating the ball’s exit by holding the center or through the middle. uses his excellent long game. And it is at this level that his contribution is pharaoh. With an average of 58% successful long balls in the Premier League, Casemiro is one of the most surgical players in training. He is also among the top 6 attacking midfielders in his league for the most passing distance, while also having one of the most touches in the top third of the pitch. His excellent performance as a midfielder against Charlton in the FA Cup is the best example of this, although he is unlikely to challenge.

January 10 vs. Charlton (3-0): Casemiro stands out to offer Wan-Bissaka a solution to break away…

Before coming to caress the leather feet, the Brazilian takes in the information of the surrounding space…

He can use his freedom to send an exceptional ball to Alejandro Garnacho on the other end…

But unfortunately, the Argentine will not be able to control the ball. A mistake that would destroy United’s attack as Rashford looked set to finish off the move.

A few minutes later, Casemiro serves low again. After Garnacho’s recovery, the former Madrid player scans the area around him…

Before moving in the direction of travel and quickly looking back, it’s almost as if the goal is already known – Wan-Bissaka’s early run is an indication of this…

He can then serve Facundo Pellistri with a long diagonal, which hits the ground …

Kim will come straight to the Uruguayan, this time he will be able to offer Marcus Rashford the opportunity to deceive the opposition goalkeeper in a similar sequence as before.

Rashford makes it 3-0 with Casemiro’s cross #mufc pic.twitter.com/h3orMsgpdm

— United Goals (@UnitedGoals__) January 10, 2023

He certainly won’t have the quality of Sergio Busquets’ touch or the comfort under pressure of Marco Verratti, but Casemiro is now an asset to his partners due to his consistency. One of them is the use of the ball during recovery. No longer having to prove his defensive prowess, the Brazilian is a real plus for Ten Hag thanks to his use of the ball after stealing it. In a proactive, vertical and vitaminized team, the Premier League’s fourth-choice midfielder regularly works to distribute a series of key passes seconds after stepping on the leather. A faculty that offers Manchester plenty of opportunities to be dangerous in transitions to fill Casemiro’s statistical quota, which has resulted in two goals and two assists in the league so far.

9 October at Everton (1-2): Casemiro saves the ball from Alex Iwobi’s feet…

Quickly, with one touch, the Brazilian looks for verticality to start the red transition …

The ball is then dosed perfectly in the right place. At the end of his race, Cristiano Ronaldo will present the advantage to Manchester.

27th December vs Nottingham Forest (3-0): Casemiro goes to his feet to catch the ball…

Two seconds later, before moving Fred perfectly into the box…

Kim will make it 3-0.

Body and soul

The seventh most tackled player in the Premier League this season with 45 slips – playing fewer minutes than his rivals – Casemiro is first and foremost a defender. Representing perhaps the most iconic defensive midfielder of the last decade, the player naturally carried all his defensive equipment in his luggage. If the tank perfectly adapts to its body, which is 185 centimeters tall and weighs 84 kilograms, it is also a car that moves better than others. In a team that inevitably opens up breaches for their opponents – Real Madrid, responsible for covering the sides he is so good at – the Brazilian is reliable when putting out any fires that might ignite his area.

Against Nottingham Forest, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to start at right-back. As a result, Tayvo Avonyi used the opportunity to run behind the English side. Cover must be provided by Casemiro as Raphaël Varane stands to dislodge the Nigerian striker…

As Brennan Johnson looks ready to push the ball deep, the Brazilian manages to break away to prevent the ball from reaching the box, despite falling behind.

A few ten minutes later, again, this time on the other side. Tyrell Malacia is tackled from behind and Luke Shaw is too far from the carrier, having to defend behind the Nottingham forward…

The defensive midfielder therefore works again to protect his base.

But apart from his physical impact and average ferocity, Casemiro possesses rare situational intelligence. Enhanced by his vast experience, the environment is equipped with a very accurate rapid analysis capability that enables him to take the most optimal decision to try to mitigate the impending threat. In a team that likes to defend when going forward and inevitably leaves space at the back, the ability to make the right choice is an invaluable asset.

6 January FA Cup v Everton (3-1): Eriksen is denied the ball. Then the counter-attack begins Sweets Led by Iwobi, who will rush to gain meters with the ball under his feet…

Demarai looks to drop back to cover Gray’s run down the right, but Casemiro, knowing he’s covered, appears in the byline and tries to grab the skin…

And he gets the ball back, much to Iwobi’s dismay.

Against Bournemouth (3-0) on January 3, a new switch to manage for Tank. This time, Kieffer plays the last bulwark after the release of Victor Lindelof in Moore…

As the last defender, he knows that if he is taken out, he can offer his opponents a huge situation. So he decides to retreat to run the counter led by Solanke…

First, he directs Moore’s shift to defend the gap between Lindelof and Lindelof at shortstop…

Before changing his support and orientation in his race to embrace the opportunity Jaidon Anthony inherited. Worried about the return of the Brazilian, the Englishman will not match his attempt.

If they beat Manchester City at Old Trafford this Saturday Red devils in the afternoon he could return to a small point of his opponent. Although he only played 30 short minutes in the incredible first leg (6-3), there is no doubt that Tank will play a crucial role against Pep Guardiola’s side this time around. But at the same time citizens Looking a little less flashy than usual, Casemiro will be eager to confirm his savior status.

By Matthias Ribeiro