Casemiro must become a bench player for United after horrific game against Liverpool
Here are my thoughts of United after the team's game against Liverpool.
Manchester United is in crisis mode after the team lost 3-0 to their bitter rivals Liverpool Football Club.
United could not handle Liverpool’s aggressive approach of targeting Casemiro. The Brazilian midfielder looks finished in the Premier League; lacking the ability to catch up to fast forwards. This creates a huge issue for United manager Erik ten Hag to fix; as the Red Devils sit in 16th position in the league.
United during this transfer window have bought Manuel Ugarte from French side Paris Saint-Germain. However, he may be unavailable for an entire month; creating a giant problem for the Red Devils.
If Ugarte cannot play against Southampton, Lisandro Martinez could be the right player to fix Ten Hag’s issues. Martinez has played the role while he was at Ajax. He’s strong, has great technical skills, and can easily pass the ball from out the back. However, he has been unable to play in that position because of last season’s injury crisis.
Read more:
Last year the squad was seriously destroyed because of injuries to Raphael Varane and Martinez. Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro have arrived at Old Trafford this season. This means there is enough backup in that area, allowing Martinez to play in the central defensive midfield position.
Furthermore, the statistics show he has the attributes to play in the role.
According to the statistics website One Versus One; Martinez has a slightly better ground duel record than Casemiro (2.46 vs 2.4). Martinez also has a better record in headed duels than Casemiro (2.11 vs 1.6). 1 These stats show why I think Martinez could be the perfect fit for the role.
If Ten Hag wants to be successful this season he must be creative in his squad choices. A common criticism of the Dutch manager is his inability to change his squads. Understandably, last season the squad had many injuries that had to be dealt with. However, this issue must be fixed this season.
Players such as Marcus Rashford and Casemiro must be dropped for up-and-coming talent such as Alejandro Garnacho and Ugarte. Even if Ugarte may not be entirely fit to play, Ten Hag still can play Martinez or rising star Toby Collyer. If he cannot do this, I can see him potentially being sacked as United’s manager.
Stay in the game! Don't miss out on the latest soccer news, insights, and updates. Subscribe to our newsletter today.
Casemiro vs. MartinezStats - https://one-versus-one.com/en/compare-players/casemiro-vs-lisandro-martinez