Rasmus Hojlund’s double helped Manchester United win 2-1 against Luton Town in round 25 of the Premier League, thereby extending their unbeaten streak to 6. This victory also helped Erik ten Hag and his team narrow the gap. The gap with the Top 4 Premier League is down to 5 points, thereby continuing to raise hopes of winning tickets to the Champions League next season.
Despite leading Luton early, Man United had to work very hard to leave Kenilworth Road with 3 points. Besides bright spots like Rasmus Hojlund or Kobbie Mainoo, there are still underperforming players like Harry Maguire or Casemiro. Both were withdrawn immediately after the break and both had to receive the lowest scores on the field in the match against Luton (6.2 and 6.4 respectively according to Sofascore).
Among them, Casemiro is the name that leaves the most disappointment. In the 34th minute, the Brazilian midfielder received a yellow card for fouling Amari’i Bell. Less than 6 minutes later, Casemiro controlled the ball and made a dangerous tackle on Ross Barkley. Fortunately, referee David Coote only warned the M.U midfielder, despite the backlash from Luton Town players.
“Casemiro is a serial offender, over and over again. When you receive a yellow card, you cannot continue to foul your opponent. That’s really a dangerous way to play. Casemiro was lucky not to be disqualified by the referee,” former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp shared on Sky Sports.
Witnessing a series of silly fouls by the Brazilian midfielder, Gary Neville also frankly criticized: “Casemiro was lucky not to be sent off. He lost the ball and then rushed into the opponent very violently. It’s hard to understand why Casemiro reacted so violently in that situation.”
In contrast to his impressive performance in his first season at Old Trafford, Casemiro has not yet met expectations, and is even said to have played poorly at times. Since Man United’s “Best Player of September” award, injuries and having to work hard on all fronts have caused the Brazilian midfielder’s performance to plummet.
Casemiro’s shortness of breath makes him always lose in duels, forcing him to make more mistakes. According to statistics, the midfielder born in 1992 received 8 yellow cards in 11 matches at club and national team levels. Casemiro has also been carded in 4 of the last 5 matches since returning from injury.
In the Real Madrid shirt, Casemiro is always considered a warrior, a steel shield in front of the defense. However, those qualities disappeared in the first round of the Premier League this season, when the Brazilian international had a forgettable match against Wolves. Sharing on Sky Sports, Gary Neville described Casemiro as “seemingly non-existent” on the field. That poor performance caused Man United’s defense to be torn apart against Wolves in the opening round of the Premier League.
In addition to the impact of injury, age is also one of the factors that caused Casemiro to decline compared to his first season playing football in England. A typical example is the scene of Casemiro being easily passed 3 times by Jamal Musiala in just 7 minutes, in Manchester United’s 3-4 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier this season.
“I think the strength in Casemiro’s legs has disappeared, that’s the image of Fabinho in the Liverpool shirt last season. It’s sad to see their qualities gone,” former player Jamie Carragher shared with the Covering Liverpool podcast about Casemiro’s performance in October 2023.
After past successes, Casemiro seems to be caught up by time and is about to fall into a similar situation as compatriot Fabinho. According to Opta, Fabinho’s defensive performance in his final season with Liverpool has declined significantly. Midfielders born in 1993 recover the ball less, have a lower rate of winning duels and do not have many successful interceptions.