Manchester United’s Casemiro could settle in well and quite quickly with the Reds thanks to one player – Fred.
In a recent article published in The Athletic, Michael Cox looks at successful international sides and how they are built around players who work well together at club level before pondering whether it could work the other way around.
After United spent so long chasing Frenkie de Jong, they suddenly switched their attention to Real Madrid holding midfielder Casemiro.
The decision was supposedly driven by the idea that Erik ten Hag could then play Brazil’s first choice central midfield partnership of Casemiro and Fred.
The pair started five of Brazil’s seven games in the Copa America last year, including the final where they lost to Argentina. Since then, they have started another five times, including three World Cup qualifying games.
It’s an interesting tactic and one that hasn’t been seen much in the Premiership so we have yet to see whether this will work.
Brazil typically plays a 4-2-3-1 formation and Fred will usually take on the more advanced role.
In Brazil’s 1-0 victory over Columbia back in November, Fred held his position alongside Casemiro, using a double pivot when Brazil had possession.
As they beat Chile 4-0, although Fred was playing alongside Casemiro, when Brazil had possession he pushed much higher up the pitch.
However, in their 1-1 draw against Ecuador, in which Casemiro scored, the partnership didn’t work well out of possession. When Cassemiro tried to press, Ecuador easily bypassed him and with a large gap between their two midfielders Ecuador could progress to a position between the lines.
Going back to the Chile game, Casemiro had trouble progressing the ball when left alone in midfield, having his passes intercepted as he tried to play in Fred.
The Athletic’s conclusion was therefore that the partnership has had a varying degree of success. However, it is still a strong duo that understands each other’s style of play and will no doubt strengthen United’s midfield options.
