[Bobski]

Just looking at his stats and there’s some good stuff…

20 pressures vs 9 from Bruno and 3 from Eriksen - 1st in the team by a margin
4 tackles - 1st
2 blocks - 2nd=
3 aerial duels won - 2nd=

…mixed with some not so good stuff.

78% pass completion is pretty terrible for a player in his position. Even Bruno passed the ball more accurately (82%) and having a DM whose passing is more careless than Bruno’s is not good at all.

Mind you, McT racked up a mind-blowing 50% pass completion. Finding a team mate with a grand total of 1 pass during his 10 minutes on the pitch.

One of the problems with stats like these is for example, aerial clearances, especially in midfield, ball comes up, midfielder gets good positioning, opposing midfield backs out, no challenge occurs, ball headed clear can often count as a misplaced pass.

I think one of the problems here is that fans had built the role of the DM up into this all singing, all dancing solver of all our problems which was never a realistic reading of the issues Utd had. Most of the times it is a fairly dull role, reliability, positional intelligence and plenty of often unseen work are key to playing it well. Even a half fit Casemiro is leagues ahead of Fred and McT in his defensive reading of the game.

 

[Andycoleno9]

This is football forum and we all have different views and shit. But it is mind blowing to me that people question qualities and transfer of a player who just 3 months ago was labelled as one of the best dmc in the world. Unbelievable.
Guy changed a league. Came from league which is softer than PL, slower and where in most of games Real had secured win after 60 minutes.

As Bale once said;
"Every game in the Premier League you have to be at 100 per cent for 90 minutes or you will lose."

“In Spain, you can be up at half-time against the bottom club and take your foot off the gas. You can rest players and take people off. If you try for 45 minutes you won’t win a match in the Premier League.

“Obviously the winter break is massive. In England you’ll play four or five games and we don’t play any. You don’t get many rest days and it really does burn you out for a long time after that.”

Casemiro will be top top signing for us

 

[lex talionis]

Sure, Casemiro got stripped early in the match (which should have been called a foul) that led to the Everton goal and he had a couple of wayward passes, but was absolutely stunning as he grew into the match. After about a decade, we're finally sorted at CDM.

 

[RedCurry]

Ok let’s be real here, he’s not going to come up against too many opposition midfielders with longer legs than Onana. He was shielding the ball in a way that works against 99.99% of all footballers. Received a ball in a position he probably should not have received the ball, they scored, it didn’t matter at the end. He was very good for rest of the game. Looks really good on a half turn and does exactly what you want from a player in that role.

 

[paraguayo]

Nope. Those will keep happening. Just not so often that it will take away from all the good stuff he does. Might need a period of adjustment to PL refs, in Spain he often tried to get out of trouble by winning fouls which might not be called in england

Yep, he will displace a few easy passe per game, but his positives outweigh his negatives.

One of his big positives is the opposing box, thus I am very worried EtH is not putting him inside the box in attacking corners.

 

[joedirt87]

I still think it's a mistake to play him in a two man midfield, asking him to cover way too much space.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

This is football forum and we all have different views and shit. But it is mind blowing to me that people question qualities and transfer of a player who just 3 months ago was labelled as one of the best dmc in the world. Unbelievable.
Guy changed a league. Came from league which is softer than PL, slower and where in most of games Real had secured win after 60 minutes.

As Bale once said;
"Every game in the Premier League you have to be at 100 per cent for 90 minutes or you will lose."

“In Spain, you can be up at half-time against the bottom club and take your foot off the gas. You can rest players and take people off. If you try for 45 minutes you won’t win a match in the Premier League.

“Obviously the winter break is massive. In England you’ll play four or five games and we don’t play any. You don’t get many rest days and it really does burn you out for a long time after that.”

Casemiro will be top top signing for us

I agree with you about Casemiro but not necessarily what Bale said. Bale was playing for a super team that would win 4 out of 5 CLs. Them and Barca were so much better than the opposition in Spain, it would have felt like that. In England he played for Spurs. Completely different, be like asking a Sevilla player their opinion and comparing it to how it’s like to play for Man City.

City have won 77% of their last 200 Premier League games, scoring 523 goals. I’m pretty sure they’ve been able to cruise through a few PL games as easy as Real Madrid ever did in La Liga when Bale was there.

To bring it back to Casemiro also, he’s going from the CL and La Liga winners to a team that finished 6th last year. So it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to find the matches tougher in the PL, when he’s playing for a worse team.

 

[giorno]

I still think it's a mistake to play him in a two man midfield, asking him to cover way too much space.

Nah, that should be fine. What should worry you is him having too many touches per game deep, back to the goal and with a man on top of him. That's his biggest flaw, under Zidane we went out of our way to avoid this in fact, with Modric and Kroos dropping deeper and him moving up the pitch in the build-up

 

[Red the Bear]

Nah, that should be fine. What should worry you is him having too many touches per game deep, back to the goal and with a man on top of him. That's his biggest flaw, under Zidane we went out of our way to avoid this in fact, with Modric and Kroos dropping deeper and him moving up the pitch in the build-up

We could have Eriksen do the same although probably not as well.

 

[MUnchies]

I really thought he played good. Yes, he made some questionable passes but overall he did a solid job. He had an assist and should have scored himself.

 

[croadyman]

Needs to stop taking so much time on the ball but other than that, promising. That run where he ghosted into the gap between the centre halves (or was it the centre half and full back) was great. Didn’t know he had that in his game. You could see he’d spotted the gap but timed it perfectly.

Do you mean that header which went just wide

 

[croadyman]

Heard from Madrid fans that he usually needs time to get in the swing of things, and that the consistency issues should iron themselves out. Keep starting him and he'll absolutely shine.

Yeah needs a run of starts to get that match sharpness,in a strange kind of way what happened for Everton goal could help him understand the physicality of this league.

 

[Giggsy13]

Sure, Casemiro got stripped early in the match (which should have been called a foul) that led to the Everton goal and he had a couple of wayward passes, but was absolutely stunning as he grew into the match. After about a decade, we're finally sorted at CDM.

100% this. I can’t believe how many are writing Casemiro off already and labelling him a flop. He’s absolutely world class and shown it already. He needs a run of games to get used to the pace of the PL and when he does, many here will be eating their words on their terrible takes.

 

[jem]

He needs to be starting full-time from now on. I wouldn't be against having McTominay starting alongside him in certain matches (in place of Bruno), particularly when playing the likes of City.

 

[simonhch]

He definitely needs a run of games. His passing between the lines is revelatory for our game. With him and Eriksen sitting deep, we can be so much more effective in the transition. His positioning and awareness is top drawer too. Still showing signs of ring rust as he misplaced some really sloppy passes throughout the game, but that’s just rust. He’s a top class player and just as importantly, a top class professional. No doubt he will shine more and more as the season progresses.

 

[Greck]

Yeah we are harsh on Mctominay because too much is expected but it shows that he isn't really great at anything. It doesn't actually have anything to do with Casemiro's isolated performance but it sure as hell makes it easier to show what we should aspire to in that area of the park. The minutes he didn't look lost at least.

 

[lex talionis]

100% this. I can’t believe how many are writing Casemiro off already and labelling him a flop. He’s absolutely world class and shown it already. He needs a run of games to get used to the pace of the PL and when he does, many here will be eating their words on their terrible takes.

The trashing of Casemiro on the match thread was epic. On some level it was a hilarious, but the vile herd mentality that emerges during matches is pretty disturbing at times. There were a few posts with respect to Ronaldo, the scorer of the match winner, that were cringeworthy.

 

[Bilbo]

That moment when he burst forward for that headed opportunity gave me a Roy Keane flashback

 

[Adnan]

 

[SadlerMUFC]

Can't really blame him for the first goal. He got passed the ball 5 yards away with a giant of a midfielder right up his ass. He got tackled, it happens.

From that point they get a lucky deflection with the ball across the box that falls to Iwobi, and he scores a 1 in 1000 wonder strike.

Yes you can blame him. There was nothing wrong with the pass. It was his first touch. It was horrible. there was lots of space to make a first touch into. He kept it in an area that allowed the tackle to happen. A player as good as him knows better than that. You need to know where the space is at all times and your first touch needs to go towards that space...

 

[Member 125352]

Youtube is full of videos claiming Casemiro had a masterclass performance vs Everton. Was he really that good? I thought it was a mixed bag while watching. Is it hyperbole or was I not paying enough attention?

He wasn't voted man of the match at redcafe. Though I believe he officially was, not sure bout that.
His game average on the caf is 6,8 nothing spectacular but decent for sure, I personally gave him a 6.
For me the best player on the pitch was Eriksen and he has been for the vast majority of games so far.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Youtube is full of videos claiming Casemiro had a masterclass performance vs Everton. Was he really that good? I thought it was a mixed bag while watching. Is it hyperbole or was I not paying enough attention?

He wasn't voted man of the match at redcafe. Though I believe he officially was, not sure bout that.
His game average on the caf is 6,8 nothing spectacular but decent for sure, I personally gave him a 6.
For me the best player on the pitch was Eriksen and he has been for the vast majority of games so far.

Watch the clip above, his 3-4 really dodgy moments have been removed & when you see the rest of his game without being put off by a small handful of moments you see just how good he was.
Was insane how much ball he won and the majority of his passing was spot on.

 

[Member 125352]

Watch the clip above, his 3-4 really dodgy moments have been removed & when you see the rest of his game without being put off by a small handful of moments you see just how good he was.
Was insane how much ball he won and the majority of his passing was spot on.

Yeah I just watched some of those vids like Stratford Paddock, that was a good analysis, I learned a lot from it.
I watched tons of games in my life but I'm still kind of new to the entire pressing system because utd hasn't adopted that way of football but I hope Casemiro is indeed the perfect player for that system.
I'm gonna keep an eye out on him.

The biggest upgrade for me at first thought is replacing Fred with Eriksen as he is way more tidy on the ball.

 

[lex talionis]

Youtube is full of videos claiming Casemiro had a masterclass performance vs Everton. Was he really that good? I thought it was a mixed bag while watching. Is it hyperbole or was I not paying enough attention?

He wasn't voted man of the match at redcafe. Though I believe he officially was, not sure bout that.
His game average on the caf is 6,8 nothing spectacular but decent for sure, I personally gave him a 6.
For me the best player on the pitch was Eriksen and he has been for the vast majority of games so far.

After a dodgy start, Casemiro grew into the game minute by minute the point where he was running the show. I didn't vote for him for MOTM (Ronaldo clearly for me, but I see he wasn't even in the top four on the caf) but he was my second choice. I gave him a 7, which would have been an 8 but for getting dispossessed for the Everton goal. The back line was hardly troubled after that until the very end when Garner put in a worldie ball that forced a great De Gea save. And Casemiro did put in the perfect ball for Ronaldo, who scored the match winner.

 

[Real Name]

I love how he disposses an opposite player by just sticking the leg out casually.
Also showed a good range of passing.

 

[kthanksbye]

The guy is used to playing alongside two of the best midfielders of this generation, not saying Eriksen is not quality, but he's no Kroos, and Bruno is not a midfielder at all, even the quality of fullbacks he's playing with has dropped massively. It's going to take him some time to get used to the fact that his teammates here are not going to be in the right positions all the time and he's also not going to get a lot of time on the ball, and I think he's realized that looking at how many first touch passes he's attempting. I think he'll be fine when he gets a run of games.

 

[Zippycup]

The guy is used to playing alongside two of the best midfielders of this generation, not saying Eriksen is not quality, but he's no Kroos, and Bruno is not a midfielder at all, even the quality of fullbacks he's playing with has dropped massively. It's going to take him some time to get used to the fact that his teammates here are not going to be in the right positions all the time and he's also not going to get a lot of time on the ball, and I think he's realized that looking at how many first touch passes he's attempting. I think he'll be fine when he gets a run of games.

What do we need to unlock Pogba.......Sorry, I mean Casemiro.

 

[kthanksbye]

What do we need to unlock Pogba.......Sorry, I mean Casemiro.

Haha, nothing really, I believe he's good enough and will be arsed enough to unlock himself with a few games under his belt.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Would be nice to have a third CM in there so Casemeiro can focus on getting rid of the ball early. He's not hopeless on the ball but not a playmaker you're comfortable carrying and manipualting the ball reliably. We should sign a playmaking CM as an alternative to Bruno who is as much a forward as he is a midfielder and adds pressure on the holding 2.

 

[iato89]

This was Casemiro first start and after the first few minutes he was great. The more games he plays and starts the better he will adjust. World class player.

 

[pocco]

I love how he disposses an opposite player by just sticking the leg out casually.
Also showed a good range of passing.

It is very cool and looks effortless, but I think this is part of the issue with him. When he's defending like that he looks very square on and when players do go past him, he is then struggling to recover. I'm obviously not going to say Casemiro is playing the game wrong as it's served him well this long, but that's my observation so far.

But I suppose if he's winning most of the duels then it won't matter.

 

[Real Name]

It is very cool and looks effortless, but I think this is part of the issue with him. When he's defending like that he looks very square on and when players do go past him, he is then struggling to recover. I'm obviously not going to say Casemiro is playing the game wrong as it's served him well this long, but that's my observation so far.

But I suppose if he's winning most of the duels then it won't matter.

Yes, you'll right, but he'll get in groove with it. Playing in PL is a quicker than in Spain so he'll need to adapt his aspects of the game but improvement is already obvious. He tends to have most problems with defenders attacking him from the back and it's cause if you have the ball more than 2 seconds you'll in trouble.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

He was more involved in the game on Sunday than any performance I can remember from McTominay in a long time, and I think McTominay has been decent this season but can go anonymous.

 

[Anustart89]

The pass at 0:35 is delicious

 

[Adam-Utd]

Yes you can blame him. There was nothing wrong with the pass. It was his first touch. It was horrible. there was lots of space to make a first touch into. He kept it in an area that allowed the tackle to happen. A player as good as him knows better than that. You need to know where the space is at all times and your first touch needs to go towards that space...

He controlled it fine, his touch wasn't bad at all. He just didn't know the challenge was coming from his blindspot and the defender managed to poke it away.

In an ideal world could he have turned to his right and break into the space immediately? sure.

You just have to say the midfielder did a great job of reading it and won it cleanly. It happens.

 

[Cassidy]

He controlled it fine, his touch wasn't bad at all. He just didn't know the challenge was coming from his blindspot and the defender managed to poke it away.

In an ideal world could he have turned to his right and break into the space immediately? sure.

You just have to say the midfielder did a great job of reading it and won it cleanly. It happens.

Not to mention is was a foul on him anyway

 

[Cassidy]

Yes you can blame him. There was nothing wrong with the pass. It was his first touch. It was horrible. there was lots of space to make a first touch into. He kept it in an area that allowed the tackle to happen. A player as good as him knows better than that. You need to know where the space is at all times and your first touch needs to go towards that space...

His first touch puts his body in between ball and player. He doesnt anticipate a tackle from behind is not a foul, he’ll learn its different here

 

[Cassidy]

Would be nice to have a third CM in there so Casemeiro can focus on getting rid of the ball early. He's not hopeless on the ball but not a playmaker you're comfortable carrying and manipualting the ball reliably. We should sign a playmaking CM as an alternative to Bruno who is as much a forward as he is a midfielder and adds pressure on the holding 2.

We need another midfielder but Casemeiro is fine on the ball. That was his first PL start. He is still adjusting. Anyone remember Thiagos first season at Liverpool?

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Rest him on Thursday. Need him ahead of the big games coming up against Newcastle, Spurs and Chelsea.

That was a very complete CDM performance from him against Everton.

 

[largelyworried]

His first touch puts his body in between ball and player. He doesn't anticipate a tackle from behind is not a foul, he’ll learn its different here

That tackle would 100% be a foul in La Liga.