Manchester United supporters are still smarting after enduring a memorable 6-3 trouncing at the hands of their nearest rivals yesterday at the Etihad. Most of the post-match discussion has been subsumed by the debate over what role Ronaldo should have played in the defeat. There is a far more pertinent question for Erik Ten Hag to face, and that relates to the man sitting on the bench beside Ronaldo yesterday.
Back in August, Manchester United handed a £70m contract to Casemiro. The Champions League winner, we were lead to believe, would end the sorrowful partnership of McTominay and Fred. And yet, in the biggest fixture of his young Manchester United career, a game crying out for steel and grit and sh*thousing, Casemiro was not in the starting XI. By the time he replaced McTominay in the 59th minute, the score was 4-1 and the result was long decided.
Which raises a salient point being asked by many pundits this morning: why sign Casemiro at all if not to use him yesterday?
This was certainly a big topic of discussion during the match on social media.
Man Utd really paid £70m for Casemiro so Ronaldo could have a friend on the bench pic.twitter.com/eecsZKHVDQ
— Solyman Jami (@Jitokeze) October 2, 2022
We signed Casemiro to speak to Ronaldo on the bench lmfao.
— ًE. (@UtdEIIis) October 2, 2022
McTominay has played well in recent games and I agree with Ten Hag picking players on form, but maybe it's time to get Casemiro in the team.
Man Utd have lacked a world-class DM and he's arguably the best. Play him until he picks form.— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) October 2, 2022
Moving on from this, Erik needs to move away from picking on form and fans need to be patient on results. Put the best players out there and work them into form. Casemiro, Shaw, these players need to be starting until they are thriving, they bring a whole different potential.
— UnitedMuppetiers (@Muppetiers) October 2, 2022
'Team selection, he might have got wrong': Scholes on Manchester United's defeat
It was interesting to hear Paul Scholes analyse Ten Hag's midfield selection in his post-match analysis. The legendary Manchester United midfielder believes that Casemiro should have started ahead of Eriksen in the midfield.
"I think a lot of them goals could have been prevented. Team selection, he might have got wrong. Eriksen is predominantly an attacking player. For him to be playing in that attacking midfield role against lesser teams, he's great. You get away with it. But once you go away to Manchester City, against a top class team, you don't know where you are. There's so many top class players, that they don't give away the ball...You just don't know where you are. He got found out today. It's not his position."
In these kinds of games, you don't get possession. You just don't, against Manchester City And that's why you need a defensive midfield player who plays the position really well. He knows what's behind him. He knows what's in front of him. He knows when to press. He knows when to sit back and just defuse a situation.
Scholes then spoke from his own experience, and how Alex Ferguson would not select him for games against the top teams and instead opt for 'your Nicky Butt's, your Roy Keane's, your Micheal Carrick's' because of the positional solidity they provided.
"It's imperative you have to two players in the middle of the pitch who know their position."
On evidence of a few goals yesterday, it's unclear if McTominay knew his position.
On BBC's Match of the Day 2 last night, Jermaine Jenas and Troy Deeney rounded on the subject, with Jenas calling it 'one of the most ridiculous things' he's seen this week.
Should Casemiro have started the Manchester Derby? 🇧🇷🛡
Both @jjenas8 and @T_Deeney were baffled by his spot on the bench...#BBCFootball #MUFC pic.twitter.com/YcrJP1wIwj— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 3, 2022
Scholes called Ten Hag's starting XI 'brave' yesterday. Another word you could use with the benefit of hindsight is 'naive'. Casemiro did not start in Manchester United's win over Arsenal either. But while the phony war about Ronaldo will rumble on, Ten Hag's usage of Casemiro will tell us a lot about the kind of manager he'll be at Old Trafford.
