It’s nightfall now; this is the end for him. Two years ago, Manchester United introduced Casemiro to an enthusiastic audience at Old Trafford prior to their third season matchup against Liverpool. At the time, the team had lost one of their previous two games, 2-1 against Brighton.
After losing one of their previous games 2-1 to Brighton, Manchester United removed Casemiro in front of a dejected Old Trafford crowd on the weekend before their third game of the season against Liverpool. United won 2-1 two years ago; they fell 3-0 on Sunday, but it might have been far worse.
To be honest, it hurt to watch: a guy who was once a game-changer, a four-time Champions League winner, and a key member of one of the most successful teams in history reduced to a player so lacking in confidence that even the simple things seemed difficult. This season’s early indicators had been encouraging.
There was a feeling that Casemiro had returned to his previous level of skill and that the doubts about his fitness that dogged him the previous season could have been dispelled. However, on Sunday, he only completed 73% of his passes, far lower than what is reasonable for a defensive midfielder, and his mistakes cost the first two goals.
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However, there is a background. Liverpool’s third goal came via a dispossessed Kobbie Mainoo eleven minutes into the second half. After moving from Paris Saint-Germain for £42 million ($55 million), Manuel Ugarte was introduced before to kickoff and probably wondered what he had gotten himself into. The United holding position is similar to the Siege Perilous in Arthurian mythology in that, although someone will finally emerge who is worthy of obtaining the Grail, that person is destined to remain in that position.
It involves more than just individuals. Right now, United seems to be in a similar situation to Arsenal during the late Arsène Wenger era. Since the system has failed, people now have hope in one other. Which is ridiculous enough when the guy in question is as good as Mesut Özil, but ultimately you start to think Nicolas Pépé is the miracle worker. Though no player can ever be the solution, Ugarte could prove to be an improvement over Casemiro.
At this point, the camera focuses on Erik ten Hag since Ugarte will require an improved system surrounding him. How come Arne Slot, three games into his reign at Anfield, has constructed a more cohesive midfield than Ten Hag, who is in his third year at Old Trafford, even accounting for the position they inherited? How come Ryan Gravenberch was the best former Ajax player on the field on Sunday out of all of them?
Consider the first objective. Both full-backs have begun to advance as the ball is sent back to Casemiro. He attempts a bold first-time ball to Diogo Dalot, but Gravenberch intercepts, giving Liverpool a five-on-three break in an instant. It goes without saying that the pass selection was awful, but why were there so few alternatives available to him?
Or the second goal: Casemiro is under pressure after a shoddy ball from Noussair Mazraoui. Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, the two players closest to him, are marked, Joshua Zirkzee is free but stationary, and Casemiro’s approach of having to carry the underhit ball to him makes it challenging to pass at that angle. At the moment Luis Díaz pushes Casemiro off the ball, the six closest players to him are in white shirts. Everything after that is far too easy for Liverpool.
Or the third goal: four Liverpool players surround Mainoo as he gets shoved off the ball. There’s a four-on-two break after one pass. These problems are systemic. Even while the gap in the middle of the doughnut may not be as noticeable as it was the previous season, United still has issues in central midfield because players are running into ambushes and there is nowhere to hide when the ball is lost.
The previous week’s defeat at Brighton was due to a fundamental lack of defensive application, which is worse in some respects but at least could have been avoided by professional players just playing like professionals. Structures in midfield revolve around the manager. Even if it’s early, this appears to be the future that United must have worried about when Ten Hag was unwillingly retained: the same issues and shortcomings from the previous campaign, but with Dave Brailsford and Jim Ratcliffe in the stands and a few more Dutch players on the field.
