Casemiro is always a slow starter when a new season starts. It was the same at Madrid. I would not worry. He is absolute beast in the big games.
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When he came back we lost 2 out of 10 and those were down to a De Gea mistake and a Shaw handball. We just became accostomed to having a top class DM that we don’t / didn’t see what he brings.
In fact looking at the results we won 8 and drew 1 out of last 11 games. That’s shocking since the doom and gloom of the top 4 thread stuck with me and I was sure we stumbled badly at some stage. Shows how many big we lose this and that game then we’re in toast and knowing United… posts there were
Same here.
Exactly. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem something that ETH sees as a problem. He completely phased out Fred last season and overplayed Eriksen, despite him being slower and slower every week. Not it somehow got even worse with new setup.
He has a point. I've been told in one of the Caicedo threads that there are "2-3 players like that breaking through every season". Although I do not agree with that at all, I believe we will be spending close to 100m and I really hope it's someone close to Caicedo level.
However it depends on what we actually do with Casemiro. I love the guy but wouldn't be against selling him if we need to raise funds for a DM next season.
I'm not too worried about him this season. But I do worry that over the next couple of years we'll take too long to get the rest of the players we need up to Casemiro's level last year and that he'll age out by the time we do. Similar to what happened with Matic. Players at that age really should be the final piece of the jigsaw.
It's always funny at this point of a season that new signings are treated like the best thing ever and far better than what came before, when you actually look at the most expensive transfers
Jack Grealish - hardly lived up to the 100 million price tag
Romelu Lukaku - was going to bring Chelsea to the next level - complete flop
Paul Pogba - was going to transform United showed in glimpses but nobody would call anywhere near a successful transfer
Antony - signs are not good
Pepe - complete flop
Harry Maguire - not good enough
Darwin Nunez - shite
Wesley Fofana - mostly injured
Kai Havertz - flop
Kepa - crap keeper mostly
As for resale value - yes for Havertz but look at Pogba, Lukaku, Pepe, Maguire. And as for players stepping up from smaller clubs to the big stage - look at Schneiderlin at United for an example of how it doesn't always work out.
Chelsea signed Makelele at age 30 and he was brilliant for them, they signed Bakayoko at 23 with lots of resale value, couldn't sell him and just drained their wages for 5 years.
Jack Grealish - hardly lived up to the 100 million price tag
Romelu Lukaku - was going to bring Chelsea to the next level - complete flop
Paul Pogba - was going to transform United showed in glimpses but nobody would call anywhere near a successful transfer
Antony - signs are not good
Pepe - complete flop
Harry Maguire - not good enough
Darwin Nunez - shite
Wesley Fofana - mostly injured
Kai Havertz - flop
Kepa - crap keeper mostly
As for resale value - yes for Havertz but look at Pogba, Lukaku, Pepe, Maguire. And as for players stepping up from smaller clubs to the big stage - look at Schneiderlin at United for an example of how it doesn't always work out.
Chelsea signed Makelele at age 30 and he was brilliant for them, they signed Bakayoko at 23 with lots of resale value, couldn't sell him and just drained their wages for 5 years.
A lot of people are twitchy because he's 30 and seemingly desperate to predict the downfall of players in and around 30. He wasn't great the other day but a lot of our football was suicidal defensively.
Why all the alarm bells? Because of a jammy result vs Wolves. Haven't this been always the case vs Wolverhampton. Keep calm, performance will improve most certainly.
Comparing player who already did his part in us reaching top4 and winning something with players who haven't even showed anything for their clubs, and saying they are better transfers. 
Why doesn't he compare Casemiro with someone like Kalvin Philips for City?
Why doesn't he compare Casemiro with someone like Kalvin Philips for City?
Casemiro will be good until the last couple of years of his contract. However, he'll need to focus a lot on his fitness and sharpness if he wants to extend his playing career at the highest levels into his mid 30s.
Casemiro or Rice? I know which one I'd want in my team, as for Caicedo his potential seems to far outweigh his price tag, it could easily go either way, as has been said he has a 9 year contract which could be counterproductive when it comes to motivation to improve.
Come back in a year or two Carragher when you may, or may not, have something of substance to base this on.
Come back in a year or two Carragher when you may, or may not, have something of substance to base this on.
He won’t. He may stay without about after this or this may even be his last year then it’s off for a 40m transfer to Saudi Arabia.
Ironically that league has made this transfer a lot less risky
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I believe he used to cover one of the most distance in Real Madrid. If he no longer does so it's likely because his legs can no longer keep up. I'm still waiting for the distance covered stat from our Wolves game. I reckon Casemiro actually covered a lot of ground.
It's possibly true. Always the problem when signing older players for who this is the last big move.
I don't like it unless its for a genuine game changer. One of a handful of players in the world who can make a big difference.
Eriksen last season at one point was our leading player for ground covered, so that stat is worthless. Jogging 10 yards behind an advancing midfielder means nothing. At times via Wolves Casemiro was our furthest midfielder up the pitch when Wolves were counter attacking. He needs mobility next to him, he doesn't have the pace to keep up and track runners from midfield. He had a poor game, he started last season poorly as well. He will get better but still needs help. Bringing on Erikson in the last match against a midfield who were destroying us with pace shows currently where we are at. A lot of good midfielders over the years have excelled and not had pace, Carrick, even Matic at Chelsea and initially when he arrived here. They have great positioning, Casemiro's last game, that was poor also, hence the lunges he made, and we know where that clean lead to.
Neville especially was very eager to put him in the Sanchez bracket before a ball was kicked last season, so I'd imagine him and Carragher will keep making this point about him no longer being up to it until its eventually true
I remember threads like this about Carrick quite often to begin the season and by October/Nov he was rolling and by the end of the season he was excellent.
Some players are just slow starters and that's what Casemiro has been going back to his Real Madrid days.
He absolutely needs a run of games to build rhythm. What fecked him in the second half of last season was the 4 game suspension because he was playing his best football for us right before that.
Casemiro will be fine but EtH needs to be responsible in the role he gives him. In our current system Casemiro will be burnt out by the end of the year. Even younger DMs will struggle in this madness of what we call a midfield.
Some players are just slow starters and that's what Casemiro has been going back to his Real Madrid days.
He absolutely needs a run of games to build rhythm. What fecked him in the second half of last season was the 4 game suspension because he was playing his best football for us right before that.
Casemiro will be fine but EtH needs to be responsible in the role he gives him. In our current system Casemiro will be burnt out by the end of the year. Even younger DMs will struggle in this madness of what we call a midfield.
He was terrible in most of the big games in the second half of last season.
Sure, you and I share many similar views, but I was going off your original comment. Glad you've expanded and clarified what you meant. I think the team shape overall was mostly incoherent and the players' unfamiliarity shone through. Same thing for sharpness especially in the 50/50 duels.
Reckon Kobbie was supposed to be that guy but we'll still need +1 to spread the games.
So sick of these pundits trying to make a "Case" of players like Casemiro being too old and on the decline. He's 31. He's in his prime. Modric was the best player in the world at 36, was it? You need a little bit of both. You need young and hungry players, and you need older, more experienced ones. I remember last year there was a player breaking through our lines, and he shrugged off Bruno then McTominay, and then came the slower Casemiro and completely took him out and took the ball with him, simply from timing the challenge to perfection.
Casemiro isn't going to lose his physicality all of a sudden at 31. That's just rubbish. He can keep going at the very top for a few more years.
BTW: this is Overmars at 31 vs Ronaldo at 19
Casemiro isn't going to lose his physicality all of a sudden at 31. That's just rubbish. He can keep going at the very top for a few more years.
BTW: this is Overmars at 31 vs Ronaldo at 19
Not better transfers, better VALUE. As in they’re smarter long term buys is what I think he’s saying.Comparing player who already did his part in us reaching top4 and winning something with players who haven't even showed anything for their clubs, and saying they are better transfers.
Why doesn't he compare Casemiro with someone like Kalvin Philips for City?
Not worried tbh. We'll get another 2 seasons out of him and if the Saudi league continue spending they'll be all over him by then...
The plan should be to sell him and Varane to Saudi Arabia next summer, even if they both have a good season.
Those are sort of choices we have to start making in order to comply with FFP and avoid finding ourselves in situation we are in now on a regular basis.
You could be spot on, but we need players to come in and directly replace them. Mainoo could possibly fill in for Casemiro, but I'm not sure who would fill in for Varane? Todibo, Mengi, Kambwala?
If you're right, and I hope you are, then these players need to be getting serious minutes in lots of games as the season progresses. I'm hopeful that Amad, Hannibal, Mainoo and possibly Gore, will get lots of minutes this season.
Tottenham 2:0 Man Utd
He looks finished, so easily bypassed
Hopefully a case of getting up to speed rather than anything terminal
Hopefully a case of getting up to speed rather than anything terminal
Hugely concerning 2 games from Casemiro. Getting toyed with by Maddison and Bissouma, struggling to turn and move. Should have subbed today, but no real option with McT being pimped out.
One of these years the slow start won't be overcome, it will just be the inevitability of time.
One of these years the slow start won't be overcome, it will just be the inevitability of time.
Said it last Feb. His legs have gone. A huge problem going forward that we have no alternative.
Already needs replacing, our transfer strategy down to a tee 
Him and Eriksen were fun to watch last season but always felt like short term fixes. Looks like we need a whole new midfield again.
Unfit and slow, his defending has been shambolic in those two games.
Everyone of those Spurs players had their way with him. Dude looks old and his physical decline is quite apparent. The ease with which Spurs players were going past him was egregious.
Think he will be fine when he has a proper midfield partner.
He was really bad today. Seemed that Bissouma and Maddison were just strolling past him at will and he was unable to put in any meaningful challenges or make any meaningful interceptions at all. Shades of Matic but too early to tell if this is just poor form or start of the decline.
We need to be more like Real Madrid and less like United.
They sell an aging player who has already given them his best years, for £70m, and then go and buy the next star in midfield who will be there for a decade. We'll be scrambling around looking for Casemiros replacement next summer after selling him for £10m to the Saudi league
They sell an aging player who has already given them his best years, for £70m, and then go and buy the next star in midfield who will be there for a decade. We'll be scrambling around looking for Casemiros replacement next summer after selling him for £10m to the Saudi league
Are we still pretending that his legs haven’t completely gone and that he’s the ‘best DM in the league’? Or are we actually going to accept that he’s been absolutely horrific since coming back from his last suspension? Spends the whole game diving in and getting walked past like he isn’t even there. Plays like he’s in his late 30’s.
£70 million & £375k a week for 6 good months of form. Absolutely brilliant and in no way totally and utterly predictable
£70 million & £375k a week for 6 good months of form. Absolutely brilliant and in no way totally and utterly predictable
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I really hope he is just having a slow start because if this is his new level we are royaly fecked. He was our most important player last season and we don't have a backup for him in the squad.
Was ambling around like Pirlo at times in that 2nd half. Looks so unfit
He has lost a bit of pace, but he was not helped at all by Bruno or Mount. The fact he was probably our best attacking player as well is worrying.
Last season he seemed to take a while to get up to speed. Hopefully it's the same this season. Hasn't looked good but he's not had a lot of help around him.
I thought he was ok, but my god we need someone to provide him some relief.
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