Casemiro ban a fresh problem on ten Hag's desk
Referee Andre Marriner shows a red card to Manchester United's Casemiro, right, during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
IF Erik ten Hag thought life at Manchester United was ever going to become easier, four tumultuous minutes at Old Trafford, which ended in the sending off of Casemiro, will have put that lie to rest on Saturday.
United were coasting at 2-0, thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty and Marcus Rashford effort, when Jeffrey Schlupp threw Antony out of bounds, off the field and mayhem ensued.
When it all ended, United were down to 10 men - a fact Palace soon exploited with Schlupp halving the deficit - and ten Hag was preparing for three games without Casemiro who, in the melee that followed the foul, had grabbed Will Hughes by the neck.
Such has been the way for the new United manager who has been required to handle a vast list of challenges, ranging from the poisonous presence of Cristiano Ronaldo to, now, what to do with Mason Greenwood, the England forward who this week was cleared of charges of attempted rape and assault.
At least this problem is a purely football one as Casemiro - arguably the best and most consistent performer in this United renaissance - prepares to sit out two league games with Leeds and another with Leicester.
Ten Hag’s dilemma is exacerbated by current injuries to Christian Eriksen - out for two-plus months - and Scott McTominay, probably out for two weeks. Even Donny van de Beek, who would have been a last-choice alternative to add a warm body to midfield, is out for the season.
In the five games Casemiro has not started since his early September full debut in a home loss to Real Sociedad, ten Hag has opted for a midfield two of Eriksen and McTominay on three occasions. The other two, it has been McTominay and Fred on deck.
More tellingly, of those five games Casemiro has not started since his debut, while three have ended in wins, all were Europa League or EFL Cup games. The only two league games for which the Brazilian has not been in the starting XI have ended in defeats - and bad ones: 6-3 at Manchester City and 3-2 at Arsenal late last month.
This is the landscape into which new loan signing Marcel Sabitzer, thrown on for the final nine minutes for a debut against Palace, is stepping. And team-mate David de Gea has already been impressed by his brief glimpse of the Austrian international.
“It’s going to be tough for sure,” said de Gea of Casemiro’s suspension. “We lost already Christian, now Case, big players for us. But we have a bigger squad, players are ready to play, everyone is really focused.
“He shows already, he play 15 to 20 minutes, he did really well, made some good tackles, good with the ball. Everyone is ready to play.
“He’s an experienced guy, he played a lot of games in the Bundesliga, he’s a nice guy, a very nice lad, it’s good for the dressing room."
If Fred is guaranteed one of the starting roles in the coming three league games, starting at home to Leeds on Wednesday, then Sabitzer might be the obvious man to slide alongside him even if the 28-year-old is far from a “like for like” replacement for Casemiro.
This might tempt ten Hag into showing off his tactical nous which, to be frank, has been highly impressive to date. The Dutchman has already hinted at the possibility of central defenders Victor Lindelof or Lisandro Martinez fitting into holding midfield roles; a task they have both performed earlier in their careers.
Such is the positive mood music at Old Trafford these days that, this was still a glass-half-full day - and 13 consecutive home wins for United.
“It’s a great run, I think we improve a lot from last season,” said de Gea. “I think it’s everything that’s changed: a good manager, good players who bring experience to the team, people who want the ball, who play well with the ball. It’s a mix of everything. Everyone is ready, the people who aren’t playing much are training well, they’re ready to play and it’s great, we’re on a great run.”
De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 5 (Lindelof 86), Varane 6, Martinez 7, Shaw 7; Casemiro 5, Fred 7; Antony 5 (Sabitzer 80), Fernandes 7, Rashford 8; Weghorst 6 (Garnacho 59, 6; Maguire 86).
Malacia, Dalot, Heaton, Sancho, Mainoo.
Guaita 6; Clyne 5, Richards 6, Guehi 7, Mitchell 6; Doucoure 6 (Ahamada 82), Hughes 6 (Lokonga 72, 6); Ayew 6 (Eze 72, 6), Olise 6, Schlupp 7 (Mateta 82); Edouard 6.
Milivojevic, Tomkins, Johnstone, Whitworth, Riedewald.
A Marriner 6
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