The Debate: Why is Casemiro scoring so often?
Casemiro netted his fourth goal of the 2023/24 season during Manchester United’s comfortable Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace in midweek.
The highly talented defensive midfielder may not be renowned for his scoring abilities, but he continued to demonstrate his quality in that department during Tuesday’s 3-0 win, heading home our second of the game, from a Mason Mount corner.
That effort follows his strikes against Bayern Munich (two) and Nottingham Forest, meaning he is already more than halfway to surpassing the tally he racked up during his entire first campaign as a Red. The Brazilian's seven goals for United in 2022/23 was on a par with his career-best tally in a single season.
Speaking on a brand-new episode of The Debate, former United striker Danny Webber thinks it is a facet that has always been a part of Casemiro’s game, but is something that is really coming to the fore in Erik ten Hag's side.
The Debate: Can United win the Carabao Cup?
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“And he played that role really well. He was the enforcer. He never had to venture any further. He's been given a bit more licence in the United shirt to get forward. He picks up great areas on set pieces.
“And I think if you look at the Real Madrid games, often he’d have sat on the edge of the box, but now he's allowed to get in there and he's just got that… he sniffs out a goal and a chance very well, and he's fully committed when he goes in there to making it happen.”
“I think no matter who you are, sometimes you can get into habits,” said the ex-defender. “When you get that first one or two goals, all of a sudden you get a feel for scoring and it rolls into four, five or six.
“He's a huge threat off set pieces. He's a big, powerful lad. To see him get a goal again the other night was great.”
Why Casemiro was Man of the Match
Player highlights | Scoring, assisting, tackling - Casemiro was on fire against Crystal Palace...
Our no.18 was voted Man of the Match by United fans during the cup triumph over Crystal Palace – who we will face again on Saturday, this time in the Premier League – after a captivating all-round performance in the middle of the park.
His goal was the highlight of a display full of expertise, and journalist Neil Custis thinks that it was the Brazilian playing at his peak level.
“Certainly the other night against Palace, I thought he was very much back to his best. I thought he bossed the game. I thought he controlled it.
“His cross for Martial[‘s goal] particularly, I thought that was the highlight of the game. And now he’s getting back up to speed and United need him because he can control a game and he has a great authority about him.
“His goal and that performance and win will clearly help him. And he looked quite emotional about it all at the end as well. You know, he does bring that passion to it. So, he's back up and running. That's great news.”
Did summer signing and fellow midfielder Sofyan Amrabat have a hand in Casemiro’s impressive display? It’s something that Laurie Whitwell, a United writer for The Athletic, assessed during the discussion.
Amrabat and Casemiro started together in a United XI for the first time on Tuesday. Although the Moroccan played at left-back in the first half, he regularly took up midfield positions while the Reds had the ball and Whitwell suggests that may have provided the Brazilian with more freedom to make an impact in attack.
“I was actually surprised that he [Casemiro] started the game [against Palace] and played all the game. So, maybe Ten Hag is looking at that situation, thinking Casemiro needs a bit of regularity to kind of get up to speed because maybe he's not quite at the level that he was.
“Palace were quite passive, weren't they? So, I expect they're going to be a bit different on Saturday. But I think having Amrabat there, stepping into midfield and providing that support alongside enabled Casemiro to think, ‘Okay, I've got a bit more licence to go forward on this occasion.’
For more opinions on Casemiro and United ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace, you can watch the brand-new episode of The Debate in full here.