Casemiro's Performance Is Declining, It Is Difficult For Him to Win the Title with Manchester United

JAKARTA - At the beginning of this year, Casemiro insisted he wanted to win the title with Manchester United. However, the effort to get there seems very difficult for the 31 year old Brazilian midfielder.

"I want to win titles and important games here," he told the club's website in February. "It's not easy. We know that. Especially because we're talking about the most difficult league in the world. But that's what I want to be known for."

The Brazilian has got off to a good start in this achievement as he becomes one of the key players in the Manchester United squad during the 2021-22 season. He  helped the Red Devils win the Carabao Cup. He was also  instrumental in leading Erik ten Hag's side to a third-place finish in the Premier League.

The Dutch MU manager admitted his new midfielder had exceeded expectations during his first season at the club. Meanwhile, former Liverpool star Graeme Souness claimed that Casemiro was "the key to the rise of Manchester United".

He is also often hailed as the center field player that the club has been missing for so long. Everything is thought to be fine, but the 31-year-old's form at the start of his second season at United has not reached the same level as last season.

United have also performed below par and are currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League after a less than satisfactory start to the season.

Many have highlighted United's midfield, and Casemiro's performances, as one of their biggest problems so far this season.

Casemiro has been beaten by twice as many opponents as when he played for Real Madrid.

There are also question marks regarding the Brazilian star's performances, which have not yet reached the same level. According to Stats Perform, opposing players have passed Casemiro 2.8 times in 90 minutes of play this season. That's more than double the number of players who passed him during his final season at Real Madrid, which was 1.3.

He also let 2.1 players pass him per 90 minutes last season for United, an improvement on his record in La Liga with Real Madrid.

Casemiro also made fewer tackles than last season, with the number dropping from 3.7 per 90 minutes in 2022-23 to 2.8 this campaign.

The five-time Champions League winner has also collected less than half the number of interceptions he has made for United and Madrid in the last two seasons. The data clearly illustrates that defensively, Casemiro's performance has declined at the start of the new season.

The signs have been there since their maiden Premier League win against Wolves. Although United earned a narrow 1–0 win, Gary O'Neil's side impressed with Matheus Cunha getting through the Manchester United midfield several times during the match. He even succeeded in making several attacks that threatened MU's goal.

Other teams have since taken advantage of MU's inability to stop players running through midfield. Even Martin Keown, Mail Sport columnist and former Arsenal defender, told talkSPORT that “you could drive a bus through Manchester United's midfield at the moment”.

He added in his column in Mail Sport last week: “United are the Premier League's worst offenders of letting opponents get past them and Casemiro tops that list. Unfortunately, it didn't help that the 31-year-old Brazilian was often left alone to deal with a flood of opposition players coming through the middle,” said Keown.

“In the defeat to Arsenal, when goalkeeper Andre Onana had the ball, Casemiro dropped back between the center-backs. That keeps United's most fighting midfielders away from the center and gives Eriksen and Fernandes the task of winning back the ball when out of position,” Keown analyzed.

Defeat last  Saturday to Roberto De Zerbi's side lent more support to claims that United have problems in midfield, as Brighton beat them.

This raised more questions about the performance of their flagship midfielder, as Gabriel Agbonlahor this week claimed “Casemiro looked like he was 45 years old in midfield  during their game against Brighton.” This is a painful statement for the Brazilian midfielder.

The Brazilian was also accused of being partly responsible for Danny Welbeck's opener against Brighton. He fell behind the striker as he headed into the United penalty box.

Casemiro quickened his pace, realizing the former United forward was moving away from him as he approached the 18-yard line. Casemiro managed to catch him, but then let Welbeck slip in behind, losing concentration on the player who found enough space in the box to head home a pass from Simon Adringa.

Ultimately Ten Hag opted to replace him after 65 minutes with Hannibal Mejbri during last  Saturday's defeat.

Casemiro has played 604 minutes this season across five appearances for Manchester United and two for Brazil. He even captained the Samba Team's wins against Bolivia and Peru last week.

At 31 years old, Casemiro still has plenty of energy to play at the top level, but signs show that he is experiencing a decline in form. His opponents are passing him more often than last season, however, that doesn't fully reflect claims that he is past his prime or in decline. Right now, it seemed like things were just not going well for him.

This may have been due to a lack of defensive support at the base of United's midfield, as Casemiro looked isolated on several occasions. This is related to Ten Hag's team selection.

The Brazilian has also found himself forced to drop into United's defense at various times this season, leaving Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, and McTominay - who have all featured in United's midfield - open. It is hoped that Sofyan Amrabat's arrival at MU will be of benefit to Casemiro.

The Moroccan brings competition for a place in midfield. He is still 27 years old and has extraordinary stamina. He was also the most active player for Morocco in the 2022 World Cup with a covering distance of up to 81.4 km. This would probably add a little extra energy to Ten Hag's midfield as well as being beneficial for Casemiro.

Ten Hag is yet to confirm the two will be in the same system, but if both play at the base of the midfield, Casemiro should benefit from the Moroccan's dynamism.