[Roboc7]

The legs have gone, he has good moments but he is just not up to the pace of the Premier League and he’s way too expensive to have as a squad player.

 

[Strats]

Thought he played well. Kept himself disciplined after the early yellow. Best game in a long time.

Got absolutely fecked by Tierney.

 

[Irwin99]

Thought we were in for a bad performance with the early yellow card but i thought he played pretty well. Never a penalty in a million years.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Decent performance, very unlucky with the penalty decision it was a joke. Once he fully gets up to speed I hope he can regain the form he showed for large parts of last season.

 

[sammyhol]

Lots to be happy about, but also potentially worried about with that performance.

The good… he clearly is an improvement on all other options at 6, dangerous in the opposition box, loads of good positional interceptions, some good penetrative passing

The bad…. Well that depends on your perspective.

The optimist in me says that he always looks leggy and immobile when returning to the team, and needs a good few games to get up to the pace of the league

The pessimist in me says his legs are clearly shot to pieces, and against top sides he will get torn to shreds as a solo 6.

Fingers crossed for a glass half full outcome!

 

[the_cliff]

Lots to be happy about, but also potentially worried about with that performance.

The good… he clearly is an improvement on all other options at 6, dangerous in the opposition box, loads of good positional interceptions, some good penetrative passing

The bad…. Well that depends on your perspective.

The optimist in me says that he always looks leggy and immobile when returning to the team, and needs a good few games to get up to the pace of the league

The pessimist in me says his legs are clearly shot to pieces, and against top sides he will get torn to shreds as a solo 6.

Fingers crossed for a glass half full outcome!

I agree with you there. His level of performance dropped the longer the game went on. I do think it's just coming back from an injury and getting fitter and getting back match sharpness. His first half performance is one of the main reasons we looked so good imo. Him and Martinez back to full fitness should have us playing a lot better.

 

[Cnaiür urs Skiötha]

For the time being he is crucial for us. Also a top class number 6 is probably the most sought after player right now in world football. There is a reason a lot of oldies still play there or teams switch to play more of a double 8.
It is just such a complex role as you need to have everything.

 

[Trophy Room]

Not fully fit but had some brilliant moments. He and Mainoo are the best we have.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I thought he was pretty good for his second game back - will only get better I think.

 

[simplyared]

He's a clever player. Has some nice touches but (and it's a big but) he is far too slow and because of this makes far too many desperate challenges. Should have been hauled off at half time yesterday as he was on an early yellow. He's a risk and needs replacing!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

His presence in the box immediately makes our set pieces infinitely more threatening. Just goes to show our usual total lack of threat is far more about the players on the pitch than that poor sap, Ramsay.

 

[MJay]

I thought he was pretty good for his second game back - will only get better I think.

Historically throughout his career, he has been a slow starter, usually needing 4 to 5 matches minimum to get match fit, even at Madrid.

The fact that he's fast picking up form already after 2 matches is very encouraging.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

He's notn really intersted in doing his actual job as a DM. He wants to get forward and score goals. He's a real threat from set-pieces. That's his biggest strength these days.

Physically, he's shot. He lost the majority of his duels last night. He won 5/12 ground duels, was dribbled past 4 times, got booked, and gave away a penalty.

He was actually solid in terms of passing accuracy, which is rare. He's often guilty of attempting too many Hollywood passes.

He turns 32 this month. It would be wise to cash in on him if a good offer from a Saudi club can be brokered.

 

[Borys]

I am 80% convinced he plays football just for fun now.

Anyway, decent game, still has another season in him if we get him some help (+1 midfielder, fullbacks tucking in). Looks a bit off the pace but not a major worry, he still contributes a lot. We do need to play him with water carriers though.

His presence in the box immediately makes our set pieces infinitely more threatening. Just goes to show our usual total lack of threat is far more about the players on the pitch than that poor sap, Ramsay.

This idea that the coach is responsible for our poor set pieces attacking/defending is one of the most ridiculous I've seen widely discussed on here. Probably just behind giving Antony time to work on his weaker foot.

 

[Mike Smalling]

I thought he actually did quite well after getting that yellow. He won the ball a bunch of times and had some nice passes going forward.

He strikes me as a player that needs a run of games to get into shape, so I'm hoping he will improve over the coming weeks and we get the best version of him for the run-in. That would make a big difference.

 

[Drainy]

His fitness has been an issue this season, even before his injury return. Seems quite off the pace

 

[Lentwood]

I actually thought he was pretty good last night, clearly not as mobile but he makes a difference defensively.

He has to be smarter at times though. Reckless tackle earnt him a booking after 2-mins and got suckered into giving away a penalty

 

[Levenstein]

I think he had a really good game. Made some great tackles and passes. Bugger he didn’t score that header from Bruno’s cross to the first post.

I was afraid that the early yellow will affect his game - but he kept his head clear.

Happy to have him back - and I’m sure he will get only better and better the more minutes he plays.

 

[Roux]

I thought he was great at doing the dirty work and freeing up other players to attack. That tackle in the first 5mins though was ridiculous - so unnecessary.

 

[soapythecat]

His vision and passing can be sublime, yet awful in the same game. Very inconsistent and his tackling scare the shit out of me. He is clearly one of our better midfielders and you can see why he starts, but if there was ever a player this team needs to replace it's Casemiro. There must be plenty of more mobile options for his position out there that will come much cheaper in both wages and yellow cards. His contract length is a worry but we can hope that a Saudi club comes in for him - I think he'd leave as he looks like he know the pace of the PL is too much for him.

 

[Pronewbie]

Poor first few minutes then back to his best for the rest of the half. Started to look off the pace midway through the 2nd half and was rightfully taken off especially with a yellow card to his name.

Ten Hag's tactics have finally seem to have clicked with him. As long as Mainoo and him stay fit we should finish in the CL spot.

 

[next_number_seven]

Poor first few minutes then back to his best for the rest of the half. Started to look off the pace midway through the 2nd half and was rightfully taken off especially with a yellow card to his name.

Ten Hag's tactics have finally seem to have clicked with him. As long as Mainoo and him stay fit we should finish in the CL spot.

It'll be a miracle if we finish top 4.
It'll require Villa and Spurs collapsing and us hitting form.

 

[Pronewbie]

It'll be a miracle if we finish top 4.
It'll require Villa and Spurs collapsing and us hitting form.

It's Spurs. And Emery. Believe.

 

[FrankDrebin]

In the 1st half he started a little slow but gradually grew into the game and , by the end of the half, was one of our better performers.
Didn't notice him much in the 2nd half though.

 

[Andycoleno9]

I think that he was very good. Dropped a little in second half but first half he did great. Still our best midfield.

 

[André Dominguez]

In his position, he really doesn't require that much speed, but more stamina. A good defensive midfielder will use anticipation and proactivity as their main weapon. Being reactive is not a good thing in this position.

Let's see how he will perform after recovering his match stamina.

 

[DJ_21]

Looking close to his best. We have to partner him next to Mainoo from now on as they complement each other so well.

 

[FerociousCorgis]

my hope is he shows enough this season that saudis still come in for him with a big offer and club wisely moves him on. With a proper transfer/scouting setup it is imperative we get good value from him and a couple others to move us forward.

 

[the hea]

He's still a quality player but it's pretty obvious that he is struggling to keep up with the tempo in the PL.

 

[Gordon Godot]

He's still a quality player but it's pretty obvious that he is struggling to keep up with the tempo in the PL.

He really needs to follow Varane and retire from international football if we want to get more out of him. still don't think this was a good signing, given money and wages.

 

[lex talionis]

Solid shift, but Casemiro must deliver more.

 

[NewGlory]

Casemiro has not played since October and is obviously not in form but most people don't realize what an absolutely amazing person he is, on top of being world-class player

There was a moment in Wolves game, when MacTominay scored the goal, where camera showed how Casemiro went and hugged Ten Hag. He hugged the manager after the person who 5 minutes ago subbed him, seemingly thanking the manager for a good sub, a sub that involved himself!

I can't name many other players that would do it, but that is the guy Casemiro is. And he had no idea a camera was on him, he just did it because that's how he is. An absolute team player, a true leader. I really hope he gets in form and we keep him, because he has been invaluable for us in the past and he will be invaluable for us in the future.

In-form Casemiro as #6, Mainoo as #8 and a good #10 which can be Bruno or Mount or somebody else is our best midfield.

 

[Red the Bear]

Probably faded out towards his substitution but you absolutely can see the quality he brings, and you could catch sights of that yesterday.

Him getting back to his best is the only hope for us having a semi working midfield for the remainder of the season.

 

[Ali Dia]

He’s so very important to us. The team falls apart without his skillset and example. He’s going to be very hard to replace. Not a good well thought out transfer but one that improves the team in the here and now.

 

[Solius]

Always takes a few games to get going. Did some tidying up that we've sorely missed though.

Also a return for the trademark 'dive in and get nowhere near the ball' move.

 

[Roux]

He's vital in this team, he does so much dirty work to let others push on. Those first time long balls he plays into the forwards were inch perfect.

 

[aeh1991]

It's great to have him back. Huge difference having him next to Mainoo, instead of McT or Eriksen.

 

[MattofManchester]

Hitting his stride again. But still very reckless at times.

 

[Irwin99]

Thought he played pretty well again today.

 

[Solius]

Classic Casemiro. Some really good moments and some other moments where it looks like he’s playing his own game.

Sometimes he plays a pass and it feels like he doesn’t really give a shit about what happens with it. He laid one off to a crowded Dalot in the first half and then fecked off in the other direction giving him no out-ball. And then second half he did a random back-heel to nobody. Some lovely trademark loopy curled passes that he loves so much as well though.