Casemiro receives a standing ovation from Sir Jim Ratcliffe! Manchester United’s midfield new tactics revealed, but Amrabat still needs to buy a defensive midfielder.

In the game where Manchester United defeated Brighton, as Casemiro scored from distance, Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the stands also stood and applauded. Ratcliffe might be the member of United’s management who dislikes the Brazilian defensive midfielder the most, having publicly called his signing a “waste of money.” Yet in this match, Casemiro recorded one assist, one goal, five interceptions, and three tackles, completely earning the owner’s praise. After Ruben Amrabat substituted him, the game shifted dramatically, with Brighton scoring twice after trailing 0-3.

Casemiro may no longer be at his peak, but he remains an indispensable part of Manchester United; this is no coincidence, as both Ratcliffe and Amrabat have realized. Considering that he once ranked below Toby Collyer—a young player who can't even secure a starting spot at West Brom in the Championship this season—Casemiro’s resurgence is truly commendable.

Amrabat replaced Casemiro with Cody Meno, then had to bring on another midfielder, Ugart, to reinforce the midfield, yet Brighton still had chances to equalize at 3-3. This is no surprise now, as opponents seem to be waiting for Casemiro’s exit moments.

In the previous match at Anfield, before Casemiro was substituted off, Manchester United had not conceded any goals. Over the last two matches, during the 128 minutes Casemiro was on the pitch, United kept clean sheets, but in the 52 minutes without him, the team conceded three goals.

More data shows the same pattern: since August, Manchester United has not conceded when Casemiro is on the field; this season, during his playing time, the team has allowed only three goals. Although Casemiro was sent off in the first half against Chelsea and missed the subsequent match versus Brentford, he has still appeared in eight games, indicating this trend is neither brief nor accidental.

With Casemiro on the pitch, Manchester United conceded 3 goals in 463 minutes, averaging one goal every 154 minutes; without him, they conceded 13 goals in 437 minutes, averaging one every 33 minutes. Clearly, this is no coincidence. This praise is for Casemiro but also criticism of the other midfielders. Ugart focuses solely on defense, Cody Meno only attacks, and both lack Casemiro’s control, causing United’s 3-4-3 formation to be outnumbered in midfield.

Casemiro’s midfield partner at Manchester United is the number 10, Bruno Fernandes. Though Casemiro’s stamina is not what it used to be, he uses his experience to choose smart positions and, with teammates’ support, prevents the Red Devils’ midfield from being overwhelmed.

Former United midfielder Carrick analyzed that new forwards Mbemo and Cunha work hard tracking back, along with defensive support, reducing gaps in midfield. “You can’t expect two midfielders to handle a strong team that usually has three or four players in central areas,” Carrick explained. “The solution is to have forwards drop back to support the midfield, backing up Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Luke Shaw also pushes forward into midfield, which effectively creates a three-man midfield. It’s a battle of numbers and space; players must occupy the right positions.”

With teammates’ support, Casemiro no longer needs to cover all runs and spaces as before. Also, since Manchester United only competes in the Premier League, this veteran can still perform well. However, the club still needs a dedicated defensive midfielder because they aim to return to European competitions, and Casemiro’s stamina is insufficient to handle a full Premier League match, let alone three games a week. This season, Casemiro has yet to complete a full match for United.

Manchester United has decent bench depth at number 10 and center-back positions but lacks it in midfield. The hardworking Casemiro has gone from a player the club wanted to offload to an indispensable starter. To some extent, this also highlights flaws in the team’s recruitment strategy.