Casemiro’s week of Manchester United mistakes dissected – and what it says about his game

Casemiro, it is safe to assume, has known better weeks.

Humiliated at Crystal Palace in Manchester United’s 4-0 loss, dropped by Brazil for the Copa America and now, with his legs failing him once more, the fall guy for Sunday’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

The makeshift central defender has become the poster boy for a demoralising end to Manchester United’s season. Mistake has followed mistake, bringing defeats that only entrench misgivings over Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford.

Casemiro, a Champions League winner just two years ago with Real Madrid, is subsiding in plain sight and, even allowing for United’s debilitating injury problems, it is a run of form to start the debate over his future as a Premier League player. “He needs to call it a day,” said Jamie Carragher this week, seemingly neglecting the two years that remain on Casemiro’s lucrative contract with United.

The Athletic picks apart the week that might have changed everything for a modern midfield great.

Crystal Palace’s first goal

The night that will forever make Casemiro shudder. Mocked in parts, pitied in others.

It began with a missed tackle that was mystifyingly poor. All Michael Olise had to do was check his dribble, sending Casemiro, with body shape all in a muddle, into a sliding challenge he had no hope of winning 40 yards from goal.

… dangles a leg in front of him

… and collapses, allowing Olise to run through (Sky Sports)

Then Olise was gone, driving beyond the exposed Kobbie Mainoo and into the United box to fire low past Andre Onana. Casemiro struggled to even stay in the picture, never coming back within 15 yards of Olise. It was a challenge Casemiro will have made — and won — a thousand times as a midfielder.

“It’s shambolic,” Everton’s Ashley Young told Sky Sports. “I don’t know what he’s thinking or doing. “Maybe he thinks Olise is going backwards but he sees he’s going to come out and make a challenge and literally walks past him. It’s so easy.”

Crystal Palace’s second goal

The lesser of his Palace evils but another lapse to add to Casemiro’s charge sheet. Play was close to the halfway line and innocuous enough but Casemiro, advancing beyond midfield team-mates, had attempted to nick in and win the ball for his side.

If only. An unconvincing challenge effectively played the ball straight to Chris Richards, who immediately set away Jean-Philippe Mateta to run into space vacated by Casemiro.

Casemiro misses his tackle…

… and is out of position as Jean-Philippe Mateta runs through (Sky Sports)

Jonny Evans did not cover himself in glory with his own weak tackle but it was another moment that depicted Casemiro unable to keep up with the pace of the contest.

Attempts to make amends were as laboured as the original challenge. “It’s sad to see a great player performing like this,” said Carragher.

Crystal Palace’s fourth goal

The Palace third, through Tyrick Mitchell, had seen Casemiro arriving too slowly to clear but the fourth was the point when the embarrassment really took hold. Casemiro had initially covered smartly to win possession ahead of Matete but attempts to clear his lines were catastrophic.

There was little awareness of the danger that sat on Casemiro’s shoulder in the shape of Daniel Munoz, who won the ball and unceremoniously sent his off-balance opponent hurtling off the pitch.

Casemiro tries to shepherd the ball behind…

… but is dispossessed by Daniel Munoz

… who has time to cut back to Michael Olise to score (Sky Sports)

Casemiro had barely got back to his feet by the time Munoz had played the ball inside to Olise, whose finish was excellent.

Just like the first and second goals, Casemiro was scarcely even in the picture. Glaringly at fault but quickly made a bystander in a game moving too fast for him.

Arsenal’s goal

Another day at centre-back, another decisive error. An attempt to show himself square for Onana could be forgiven but Casemiro’s reluctance to sprint back up field could not.

This was a half-hearted jog back towards the defensive line, showing all the intensity of an exhibition fixture. He trundled like a tractor. Five and a half seconds stood between Onana’s clearance and Ben White’s ball down the line but Casemiro was at least 10 yards behind his nearest United team-mate.

That meant Kai Havertz was played well onside down the Arsenal right and allowed the forward to send a low cross in for Leandro Trossard to finish in behind Casemiro.

Casemiro (circled) plays Kai Havertz onside

Aaron Wan-Bissaka ought to have done more covering behind but it was his team-mate’s slovenly running that had pushed United into another hole they could not escape from.

“You don’t have to be 100 per cent sprinting, but get up the pitch!” said Roy Keane. “This game is hard enough, you have to do the basics right and he hasn’t done the basics right. An experienced player gets up the pitch. You have to get up quicker and he ambles out and there is no excuse for that.”

And no escaping the creeping doubts that this is a stellar career headed for an inglorious end.

(Top photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)