CASEMIRO vs Southampton ~ A THREAD
Casemiro was subbed on in the 80th minute against Southampton, with 6 mins added time he played around 16 minutes of football and showed exactly why United bought him.
- Awareness
- Aggression
- Progressive actions
- Aerial dominance
- Awareness
- Aggression
- Progressive actions
- Aerial dominance
Here, the Brazilian closes the Southampton player down and blocks the shot. Very aggressive, stops the attack and also buys United some time as Southampton have to reset and build the attack again.
Awareness is key here. Mctominay, who had been playing on the right of United’s midfield two, went down injured. Throughout large spells of the game he was tracking Aribo’s direct runs into the box. Casemiro knows Mctominay is down and engages.
This is really important, as Casemiro comes across and United outnumber Aribo, creating a 3 vs 1. Aribo is a really good carrier of the ball and if Casemiro hadn’t come across here, United may have been under pressure defensively. Casemiro offered real protection.
Eventually, Casemiro gets his body between ball and man and United pass their way out of trouble. Awareness, aggression and strength- 3 vital qualities the Brazilian will bring to the team.
Something Mctominay did really well in this game was often dropping in, alongside our defensive players to help deal with the physical threat of Southampton’s attacking players. When Casemiro came on, he also picked up smart positions.
Here, Dalot goes out to the Southampton player and both Casemiro and Mctominay drop in to make a back 5 temporarily, if a cross were to come in, United have numerical + aerial superiority there- important as teams have targeted our left channel often this season.
This is backed up by the stats. He won 3 out of the 4 aerial duels he contested, one of them being a vital header during Southampton’s last attack. Really important because it will spread confidence and comfort to the defenders behind him and players ahead of him.
As the ball approaches United’s box, Casemiro takes control, wins the header and finds Rashford. Ensures United get the clean sheet. A good cameo.
In possession, Casemiro also looked comfortable. Known for his “destroyer” qualities of course, but he doesn’t lack the technical ability to play first time progressive passes. Here, Mctominay gives him a pass and he plays it first time into Rashford’s feet.
Overall, I was impressed by Casemiro’s debut, albeit a 15 minute run out. He got dribbled past twice, which did not end up causing us major issues- but it will take him time to adapt to the Premier League, of course. Overall though, impressive!
Thank you for reading. Please LIKE, RETWEET AND FOLLOW @ThreadmanChaza for more THREADS like these :)
Please also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel, where I do tactical previews, reviews and general football chat:
youtube.com
youtube.com
Loading suggestions...