It was a day to forget for Manchester United on Saturday, as Erik Ten Hag's side continued their woeful run of form on the road against the "big six."
Though United were the better team early on in North London, Tottenham Hotspur were ultimately comfortable 2-0 winners, with United offering nothing going forward and struggling defensively in the second half.
Ten Hag has invested heavily in this squad since taking over last summer, with midfielders Casemiro and Mason Mount both big-money additions in an area of the pitch which had proven troublesome for Manchester United in recent years.
Casemiro was one of the team's finest performers last year, despite some disappointing and needless suspensions, but the acquisition of Mount came with a few more question marks.
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With Bruno Fernandes already excelling in an offensive midfield role, it was initially unclear exactly where Mount would fit in the United setup, and the middle of the park has looked severely unbalanced thus far this season.
Against both Wolves on the opening day and Spurs on Saturday, Casemiro was poor, while Mount struggled to find time on the ball, leading many to question the setup in midfield and the signing of both players.
One of those was beIN Sports host Richard Keys, who issued a bizarre explanation for why he felt Casemiro was performing poorly.
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Manchester United: Keys and Gray hit Ten Hag with typically harsh rant
"𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞!" 😡@richardajkeys and Andy Gray are unsure of how Erik ten Hag is improving Manchester United following a 2-0 defeat to Spurs. #beINPL #TOTMUN 🐔👺 pic.twitter.com/eqxVeCfJnA
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) August 19, 2023
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Discussing Manchester United's poor midfield form, ex-Sky Sports host Richard Keys gave a somewhat startling judgment on Casemiro's fitness, saying that it was affecting his performances as United's defensive lynchpin:
Casemiro looks like his best days are long behind him.
[Mount hasn't had a kick] in two games.
Is he [Casemiro] overweight? He looks like he's carrying a point or two he shouldn't be.
Despite issuing similar criticism of the Brazilian midfielder's form, Andy Gray alongside Keys did not agree with the host's comments on Casemiro's weight, and defended the ex-Real Madrid man's commitment:
Right now, they're easy to play against.
Against Wolves, how many times did I say to you that Wolves had run through them as though there was nothing there?
Casemiro looks like he's struggling, he doesn't look up to speed right now...I don't think he is [overweight]. He's too good a professional to be overweight. He hasn't achieved all he's achieved in football by not looking after himself.
Both Keys and Gray expressed concern over the lack of a clear game plan in midfield for Manchester United, with Gray describing the side as "rudderless."
The first two games of the season have found all three men in the Manchester United midfield looking somewhat lost, and further acquisitions before the transfer window ends cannot be ruled out, with Sofyan Amrabat continually linked with a move to Old Trafford.
Erik Ten Hag will be hoping the form of his Manchester United side turns around sooner rather than later, and the form of Casemiro and the offensive midfield duo will be crucial to any such turnaround.
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