When Manchester United were in desperate need of an attacking spark against Reading on Saturday evening, few would have expected Casemiro to be the man who would have provided it.
But after making a brilliant forward run from deep, latching onto Antony’s excellent pass and dinking the ball over Reading goalkeeper Joe Lumley with precision, he proved, once and for all, that he is more than just a world-class destroyer. After joining the club from Real Madrid last summer, he was tasked with becoming United’s midfield anchor, responsible for breaking up play and protecting the defensive line behind him.
As much as he has flourished in that department, playing a key role in United’s resurrection under Erik ten Hag this season, he has also brought an unexpected attacking dimension to the squad. Almost everyone, prior to his arrival at Old Trafford last August, considered him as a player that would sit deep, mop up opposing attacks and then give the ball to one of the likes of Christian Eriksen or Bruno Fernandes to work their magic.
Casemiro, though, has frequently joined in with the attacking play, highlighted by the fact that his impressive brace against Reading took his tally of direct goal contributions this season (goals and assists) to nine in all competitions. Only Marcus Rashford (23), Fernandes (12) and Eriksen (11) have registered more than him in United colours this season.
At first glance, such is Casemiro’s stereotypical characteristics and style of play, it is a tally that you would not expect, nor think possible, for the Brazilian. He is renowned for being a player that loves to sit deep and do the dirty side of the game, attempting to keep the defensive line behind him in order.
However, when breaking down the 30-year-old’s season-on-season statistics from his time at Real Madrid, it becomes apparent that his attacking contributions this term should not, in fact, be all that surprising. In four of his eight full seasons as a Madrid player he got into double figures for goals and assists, with his highest tally of direct goal contributions coming in 2020/21 when he racked up 13, scoring seven times and registering six assists.
He had previously registered ten direct goal contributions in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2019/20. He only ever dipped below five once, that being in his maiden season as a Madrid player in the 2013/14 campaign.
Having regularly chalked up a respectful number of goals and assists, despite playing alongside two more attack-minded midfielders in Toni Kroos and Luka Modric for much of his Madrid career, season-on-season, Casemiro’s attacking input at Old Trafford this season should not come as a shock, even if Ten Hag, following the triumph over Reading, admitted he has been surprised by his contributions going forward.
Directly asked if he was surprised by Casemiro’s contributions offensively, Ten Hag, speaking to ITV post-match, said: “Yes. We know he’s a great player and that midfield in Madrid, with Kroos and Modric, it was great.
“He’s capable of that [scoring goals]. We see him as a part of it offensively and he enjoys it as well, when he can come [into] it. What I like is dynamic football with variations, with many positional switches so we have to let the opponent think so that we can take the benefit of it.”
While Casemiro’s main responsibility is to continue as United’s destruction button in the centre of midfield, his ability to get on the ball and create chances for his teammates, as well as score goals himself, offers United an extra dimension, even if his record at Madrid suggests that his offensive contributions should not be as surprising as first as they appear. He is terrific on the ball and the assists he provided for Cristiano Ronaldo against Everton and for Rashford’s second goal against Charlton Athletic were prime examples of his capabilities in an attacking phase of play, producing defence-splitting passes.
He has the ability, vision and experience, when collecting possession, to know what needs doing with it. He is the glue in this United team in more ways than one.
Therefore, while many thought Casemiro’s task at Madrid was simple: thwart attacks and then give the ball to Kroos or Modric to strut their stuff, the truth is that he was about so much more in an attacking sense. He frequently got into double figures in Spain for goals and assists and he is now proving why that was in England.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
