Casemiro’s Poor Performance Against Liverpool Draws Criticism from Jamie Carragher
Manchester United’s recent match against Liverpool was one for the history books, but not in a good way for the Red Devils. The team suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat, with six of those goals being scored in the second half. Unfortunately, not a single United player turned up for the game, with many putting in shockingly poor performances. One such player was Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who had an uncharacteristically bad game.
Speaking on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticized Casemiro’s performance and highlighted some damning statistics. The midfielder had a passing accuracy of just 62%, his worst in the Premier League to date. He also failed to win a single ball in the defensive third and didn’t complete a single tackle. Carragher did acknowledge that Casemiro has been one of the best players of the season, but his struggles against Liverpool demonstrate just how important he is to Manchester United.
Carragher pointed out that when Casemiro doesn’t play, United tend to concede a lot of goals. For example, they conceded six against Manchester City when he was absent, and three against Arsenal. Against Liverpool, United conceded seven goals, their worst league defeat since Boxing Day in 1931. Carragher’s criticism of Casemiro was not meant to be entirely negative, however. He also emphasized just how important the Brazilian is to United when he is on his game.
Casemiro’s influence has been a major part of Erik ten Hag’s rebuild at Old Trafford. Prior to the Liverpool game, United had lost just once since the World Cup concluded. During that run of matches, Casemiro had been a stellar part of the midfield, regularly mopping up trouble in front of the back four and launching attacks by getting the ball up to the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Wout Weghorst.
Despite his poor performance against Liverpool, Casemiro will have the chance to make amends when United take on Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday. As a former Real Madrid player, he faced Betis 12 times and won seven times, drawing three and losing two. Hopefully, he will be able to put his recent poor form behind him and help United get back to winning ways.
In conclusion, Carragher’s criticism of Casemiro may have been harsh, but it was not entirely unwarranted. The Brazilian has been an important player for United this season, but his poor performance against Liverpool showed just how much they rely on him. Hopefully, he will be able to bounce back and help United continue their good form in the coming weeks.