BREAKING NEWS: I don’t know when Man united fans will learn to be grateful for once,this particular player is such a blessing to us yet fans keeps bantering Him everyday,it pains me whenever that happens”, Man United legend Michael Carrick reveals the ONE Man United player that fans needs to start showering love now – Not Casemiro
Michael Carrick has explained what tactical tweaks Ruben Amorim has made to his Manchester United side so that Casemiro can still play in that midfield role next to Bruno Fernandes.
Casemiro has come under scrutiny in a Manchester United shirt, with the ageing midfielder not quite as mobile as he used to be on the pitch.
That said, Ruben Amorim clearly understands Casemiro’s importance, and the Brazilian showed against Brighton & Hove Albion that he’s more than capable of still performing in the Premier League.
Former Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick has explained why this could be down to Amorim’s tactical adjustments.
Michael Carrick on Casemiro and Manchester United’s midfield
Speaking on Match of the Day, Carrick outlined the stark difference he observed in United’s midfield against Brighton.
Carrick explained that the midfield was building in fluidity, with forwards and defenders working to cover the spaces in midfield that had sometimes left United exposed in the past.
He said: “What’s being said about the midfield too, and the pairing and the spaces that they’ve got to cover over the last year or so?
“There’s something I’m really interested in: how they get support and help. You can’t expect two midfielders against a good team to deal with three or four players.
“So how do you find the solution? The solution comes from the forwards dropping back to support this middle zone that we’re showing here, to support Bruno and Casemiro, the forwards provide support, with Luke Shaw jumping in on Rutter and staying in there to almost make a three-man midfield.
“In the end, it’s a numbers game and a space game, and you’ve got to fill the right spaces. Bruno, Luke Shaw, and Casemiro here filling up another part of the pitch just kept them solid.
There’s no way against the Brighton team you could ask Bruno and Casemiro to do that alone, and the formation was quite fluid. You can see Luke Shaw almost as a right midfielder here. That leaves Cunha to drop in and be responsible and disciplined.
“But the key is the spaces and how he’s tucked in around it. Even when they got broken at times, they were willing to backtrack and fill in fluidly. And you see the backtracking position here – it summed it up.
“It was such a big shift from Cunha, Bruno, Casemiro, and Luke Shaw to fill the middle of the pitch.”
With the support of his teammates, Casemiro didn’t have to cover all the running and spaces he’s been asked to in previous games, showing there are still ways the veteran can be involved while United thrive.
Do Manchester United still need a Carlos Baleba?
The argument was that United needed a competent six to compensate for their two-man midfield, but with this tactical adjustment, it begs the question of whether United really need to splash the cash for someone like Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
Baleba to United was heavily rumoured in the summer, but the Red Devils were told the Cameroonian’s price tag would have been upwards of £100m, and Brighton declared him not for sale, so a deal never materialised.
Casemiro hasn’t got many more top-quality years left, but games like Saturday’s proved that with the right approach, he can still play a key role at Manchester United.
The 33-year-old is not done yet, that’s for sure
