Man United defeat: Manchester United slipped up once again as they lost 3-2 to Arsenal in a key Premier League contest on Sunday at the Emirates.
This after a 1-1 draw vs Crystal Palace away in mid-week jolted their progress through a late but stunning free-kick effort from Olise.
However, United’s defeat yesterday proved exactly why Ten Hag’s shake of the head following the draw to Crystal Palace was valid.
Casemiro- A massive miss for the Red Devils
Also read: 3 records that Erling Haaland already broke in the EPL 2022-23 season
The ex-Real Madrid mid-fielder missed the match vs Arsenal owing to accumulation of bookings.
Casemiro was suspended for the Arsenal match due to bookings accumualation. This is exactly the problem Manchester United lack this season.
The Brazilian’s abilities as a defensive mid-fielder cannot be question as he has made United look more fluid on the pitch with his presence.
Manchester United’s win percentage drops to a mere 25% with the Brazilian’s absence as supposed to 69 with his presence.
Eriksen’s weaknesses were exposed today due to no Casemiro, and McTominay did very little in and out of possession.
Manchester United missed Casemiro it was so obvious. Massive downgrade without him. pic.twitter.com/P8MW41Hzqu
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) January 22, 2023
Yesterday was the perfect example of why the ex-Real Madrid was a massive absence for Ten Hag.
United’s midfield opened up
The likes of Eriksen and McTominay followed by Fred weren’t able to dominate the North London club.
The Arsenal trio of Martinelli, Odegaard and Saka were consistently creating havoc in the center of the park and able to drive through the Red Devils’ mid-field.
After United took an early lead in the contest via Rashford’s stunner, they were not able to control proceedings as per their liking. Casemiro’s controlled calmness and ability to read situations was missing
Casemiro is key for Man United 🔑 pic.twitter.com/JkauIkUKi8
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 23, 2023
New signing, Weghorst was playing in mid-field during the contest and beaten on a number of occasions.
No Spirit and mentality
United’s goals per say last night was due to Rashford’s brilliance followed by Martinez’s scruffiness. Overall, United did not look well knit as a side in terms of quality and movement of play.
Erik ten Hag was not happy with his team 😡
— GOAL News (@GoalNews) January 22, 2023
Ten Hag’s side were on a 10-match unbeaten run across competitions since early November. But last night’s painful defeat has exposed pertinent questions.
