Sam Allardyce has slammed a Manchester United star for his lack of self-control following the club’s 2-1 win against Chelsea.
Manchester United secured a crucial victory against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday night in what was a red-card affected game.
Robert Sanchez was given his marching orders early on into the game following a tackle on United forward Bryan Mbeumo just on the edge of the penalty box after a flicked header from Benjamin Šeško sent the Cameroon international through on goal.
United took full advantage of the extra man advantage and raced to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
Casemiro, however, was also sent off after receiving a second yellow card. After this, Chelsea began to assert more control and pulled one back through Trevor Chalobah, but United held on to secure three points of the utmost importance following a tough start to the season.
Allardyce accuses Casemiro of lack of self-control
Casemiro, who scored United’s second of the night, was shown a red card against Chelsea following a second yellow card in stoppage time of the first half.
Former England manager Sam Allardyce didn’t hold back when talking about Casemiro following Saturday night’s encounter at Old Trafford.
“I mean, the man of his experience and his age who can’t control himself. He’s just an old player. He’s not an experienced player, because he’s still doing the same things,” Allardyce said on Casemiro when speaking to Ben Foster on the No Tippy Tappy podcast.
He’s still doing the same things all his career that he should have cut out years ago, and particularly now, he’s not as quick as he used to be, and he should be using it.
“He should be using his experience to make sure that doesn’t happen. But he’s not. He’s just doing the same old things he’s always done, diving in, jumping in, and obviously, because he’s slowing down, he’s getting booked and sent off more.
“As talented as he is, and he is, on the ball. It’s a detriment to your team.”
Should Casemiro be starting?
Ruben Amorim’s first-choice midfield pivot appears to be Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. To the despair of many United fans, Kobbie Mainoo has been given a reduced role under Amorim compared to the role he had under Erik ten Hag, and Manuel Ugarte has struggled to assert himself in a United shirt.
Both Casemiro and Fernandes are extremely direct in their approach on the ball. They are both very progressive, particularly through passing, but neither is a typical midfield ‘controller’. They are risk-takers, not tempo setters.
Kobbie Mainoo is a controller, but Ruben Amorim has said he is competing for Fernandes’ spot, while Casemiro and Ugarte are competing with each other for the other spot in the pivot.
While Mainoo and Fernandes may lack defensive steel as a midfield partnership, they are definitely capable of playing together in games against lesser opposition, where United have the quality to control the game for significant periods.
That being said, Amorim’s current approach is to be more direct. It’s about transitions and second balls, rather than sustained pressure. While it may not be United’s best duo on paper, Fernandes and Casemiro are the midfield partnership best suited to this style of play.
They are direct passers, and they are strong in duels. Fernandes offers an elite creative outlet, while Casemiro adds defensive solidity and is capable of making tactical fouls to end opposition counter-attacks. However, if the Brazilian continues to be rash, he may be dropped in favour of a calmer Mainoo.
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