After the thrashing at the hands of Manchester City and the unconvincing performance against Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League, the pressure was on Manchester United to put up a spirited display against Everton.
Erik ten Hag, aware of the underwhelming displays put in by a few players recently, opted to give a much-awaited start to midfield general Casemiro on Sunday at Goodison Park.
Casemiro helps Utd to victory
And the Brazilian played a vital role as United hung on to secure a nervy 2-1 win with all three goals coming in the first half.
There were question marks on whether the former Real Madrid star could handle the intensity and frenetic pace of the Premier League.
Casemiro won 4/5 tackles against Everton, twice as many as any other player on the pitch.
Won the midfield battle on his own. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/4H9736YcX6
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 9, 2022
Ten Hag had till yesterday, opted for Scott McTominay partly for his improved displays and because he knows what the league is all about.
Based off of Sunday’s examination, the 30-year-old passed with flying colours with a man-of-the-match award to boot.
But that does not mean his game was flawless. As pointed out by Laurie Whitwell in his article for The Athletic, the Brazilian “gave the ball away more than any other United player.”
According to Opta, Casemiro lost possession 17 times, two more than Eriksen and Martinez. But he more than made up for it with his interceptions, winning back possession nine times, level with Eriksen as United’s best in that regard.
The goal United conceded came because of a mistake made by the Brazil international as he tried to take his time deep inside United territory but got harried off the ball by Amadou Onana.
The ball ultimately fell to Alex Iwobi, who curled the ball into the net past a diving David de Gea.
Casemiro showed mental resilience as he did not let that mistake shatter his confidence. Too many times pundits and experts have pointed out how certain players let their heads drop after a mistake.
Casemiro adapting to PL
The defensive midfielder is certainly not one of them and his assist for Cristiano Ronaldo‘s 700th club career goal was outstanding. He initially made a mistake before expertly winning possession back and passing it first time without having to steady himself.
The Athletic pointed out how Casemiro likes to take risks but is not aversive to constructive criticism as he strives to better himself in this difficult league.
“He takes a keen interest in this aspect, getting his stats sent over after games from a provider. He constantly asks about recoveries, pass accuracy, short passes, long passes and areas covered,” Whitwell revealed.
And following Scott McTominay‘s fifth yellow card of the season which rules him out of the clash against Newcastle, Casemiro is once again set to start next week.
His application off the pitch by learning English and mixing with teammates has impressed one and all and now his chances on the pitch are sure to increase.
Now it is up to Casemiro to keep the good work going with games set to come thick and fast.
