A victory is always a positive result, but it’s often paved over the cracks for Manchester United this season, with a handful of performances not warranting three points.
This was the case against Everton on Saturday at Old Trafford, as although Erik ten Hag’s team won 2-0, there were large alarm bells ringing from a defensive perspective.
The Red Devils faced 23 shots against Everton, which is one more than what Manchester City conceded in their last three Premier League games prior to the Liverpool draw, for context.
In fairness, there were a few standout performers who impressed, but one player who stood out for the wrong reasons was Casemiro.
Casemiro’s 23/24 season in numbers
After enjoying a successful first campaign in Manchester following a £70m move from Real Madrid, Casemiro hasn’t quite been living up to his price tag.
The 32-year-old has featured 15 times this season out of a possible 28 Premier League matches, with an injury in October making him miss 17 matches.
Since his return, Casemiro has been off the pace, struggling with the tempo on the ball while also finding it difficult to match the speed and physicality of opposition players.
The Brazilian’s performance against Luton Town last month served as evidence of that, as he lost seven duels, was dribbled past twice, and received a yellow card, which ultimately led to his substitution at half-time.
Unfortunately, he was exposed once again against the Toffees on Saturday afternoon.
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Casemiro’s performance against Everton
The number 18 started his ninth game in a row against Sean Dyche’s team, partnering Kobbie Mainoo in the midfield of a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The defensive midfielder’s performance can be summed up by his 5/10 rating by the Manchester Evening News, with journalist Samuel Luckhurst writing:
“So careless he had his hands on his hips during one stoppage, possibly in disgust at his own performance. Will need to raise his level next week.”
Casemiro vs Everton |
|
---|---|
Stats |
Casemiro |
Touches |
87 |
Passes completed |
53 |
Pass accuracy |
76% |
Long balls completed |
1/4 |
Possession lost |
17 |
Stats via Sofascore |
As you can see by his 76% pass accuracy and the fact that he lost the ball 17 times, Casemiro provides absolutely zero control to the midfield, which often allows the opponent to transition quickly.
The lack of dominance that United had at the weekend can be highlighted by Everton having more possession than the hosts in the second half, which is poor considering they average the second-lowest possession per game in the league this season, and unfortunately, a decent amount of that falls on the shoulders of the tenacious tackler.
Casemiro’s inability to cover space and stop transitions also played a part in Everton having so many shots, but football creator Liam Canning recognised this issue in September, stating:
“McTominay, Eriksen and Casemiro can’t defend transitions. They do not offer anything. Players run past them like they’re not there. A joke.”
As well as his declining performances, there’s also some concern regarding his wage and contract, which sees him earn £350k-per-week, the most at United, until the summer of 2026.
Therefore, this is just another reason why Man United simply have to sell Casemiro in the summer before he continues to bleed the club dry.