Manchester United will be without their most important player when they travel to face Newcastle in the Premier League this weekend, albeit gaffer Erik ten Hag may chose to differ in opinion.
The Dutch tactician has insisted that United would be able to cope without Casemiro, although in truth they have barely been able to. Were it clearly not for Fulham’s chaotic implosion the last time out, the Red Devils would have been tossed out of the FA Cup.
It is only natural that any side would miss a player of such quality, but it was truly alarming the extent to which United were largely outplayed at home against a mid-table team. Even though they won, Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha was named Man of the Match after dominating the midfield for much of the game before being let down by his teammates.
Ahead of the game, Ten Hag eased concerns about missing the suspended Brazilian, insisting that his side already had a track record of playing without him and winning.
“We had many more games without Casemiro,” he insisted at a press conference. “We did really well without Casemiro against Arsenal, Leeds and also at the start of the season, but I want to have Casemiro available, He has a huge impact on our game.
“We also won many games without Casemiro, so he is not available so we have to do with many players.”
In the five games Casemiro has missed since he joined the club, United have won three, drawn one, and lost one.
There is certainly an argument to be made that they have managed to cope without him to an extent, but a lot of that is revisionism and looks beyond the troubling trend of their performances.
The win over Fulham came with the obvious caveat that the visiting team hit self-destruct after dominating for 70 minutes, while the win over Leicester was also made to look like a comfortable win, when in fact the visitors had dominated the first half and wasted huge chances to take the lead.
It is true that United showed great character to win these matches when they had not been at their best, but on another day they would have been punished properly, and it would be reckless to overlook these concerns.
United’s reality is that when Casemiro isn’t playing they aren’t the same side, and even when he is, his form often dictates the way in which the team plays as a whole. It is just as clearly highlighted by the fact that his worst performance in a United shirt coincided with the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Next up is a trip to Newcastle this weekend and the daunting prospect of facing an in-form side without arguably their most important player.
Eddie Howe’s side, much like Southampton and Fulham in recent weeks, have their greatest strength in their midfield and will look to exacerbate Casemiro’s absence on Sunday afternoon.
“Casemiro is such a leader and so important for us,” Ten Hag said earlier in the month. “Not only with his performances and skills, like scoring goals with his headers, or linking up, or intercepting balls, but also his organisation, his mentality, the culture he projects. We are so happy that we signed him.”
United have missed not only his quality, but also his character when he hasn’t been available this season, and there is a fear that they will be reminded of that once again this weekend.
It is obvious why Ten Hag hasn’t publicly acknowledged his concerns about not being able to cope without Casemiro, though it has already become quite clear that he hasn’t yet found a convincing solution.
A trip to St. James’ Park this weekend will be the toughest test they have faced yet without their talisman, and all eyes will be on the manager to see if he can finally come up with an answer.
Ten Hag can insist that United have done well without Casemiro; they have also suffered without him.