Casemiro has been a revelation. He's elevated our midfield play to incredible levels this season, and has shown parts to his game that most of us didn't know he had.
Apart from his world class quality though, I feel there's a more marked reason I reckon we see such a drop off in composure and control whenever he's out of the game, either when subbed off in the second half, or by suspension: i.e. We simply don't have another number 6 option in the squad.
I think it is critical we get/develop such a player, as Case needs cover in his position. He's 30 for one, and with the amount of games we play it's not feasible to bank on him being available for all.
I've mentioned it before that whoever it is doesn't need to be near his level. They just need to understand the role well in terms of positioning, be decent in a tackle, and have some composure on the ball with short to medium distance passes. We don't have any other player of this mould and it's so obvious.
It's a position that no strong team in the PL does without and I'm personally intrigued to know how Licha will perform there if required, given his past experience in the position. Now I know ETH wasn't a fan of him as a 6 but surely Lindelof's cameos are making him rethink that?
Apart from his world class quality though, I feel there's a more marked reason I reckon we see such a drop off in composure and control whenever he's out of the game, either when subbed off in the second half, or by suspension: i.e. We simply don't have another number 6 option in the squad.
I think it is critical we get/develop such a player, as Case needs cover in his position. He's 30 for one, and with the amount of games we play it's not feasible to bank on him being available for all.
I've mentioned it before that whoever it is doesn't need to be near his level. They just need to understand the role well in terms of positioning, be decent in a tackle, and have some composure on the ball with short to medium distance passes. We don't have any other player of this mould and it's so obvious.
It's a position that no strong team in the PL does without and I'm personally intrigued to know how Licha will perform there if required, given his past experience in the position. Now I know ETH wasn't a fan of him as a 6 but surely Lindelof's cameos are making him rethink that?