Casemiro and the influence like Cantona at Man Utd

With five Champions Leagues, three La Ligas, three Club World Cups and a Copa America that Casemiro has won, yesterday's League Cup might just appear on the second page of his resume. "The medal he just received may be lost in a drawer, the best player award in the final is also rarely mentioned," the Independent (UK) said.

Anyway, Real Madrid won 15 finals while Casemiro was at the Bernabeu, where he held the midfield. But this is the first time Man Utd has won the title with the Brazilian midfielder. And after all, what Casemiro does is win.

It is not exaggerated to think that Newcastle was defeated because Man Utd owns Casemiro. His opening goal came at a complicated time. From Luke Shaw's cross on the left, the Brazilian midfielder shot high to score a goal. On the other hand, Casemiro will decide if there is something he needs to do on the pitch, to do it himself. He can intercept tackles or contest the ball. Either Casemiro finds the ball, or the ball finds him. Either way, the 31-year-old midfielder possesses a reputation that few defensive midfielders have.

And perhaps a team always needs such prestige. Experience at Real helps Casemiro undaunted by the challenge at Man Utd. Previously, the last time Man Utd went through six years empty-handed, a talented midfielder also helped the team to end the forgettable period. It was Bryan Robson with a brace in the 1983 FA Cup final.

Casemiro can be reminiscent of the days of individual midfielders and excelled in every aspect of the game. Coach Erik ten Hag once likened Casemiro to cement among stones, when he was rebuilding Man Utd from the rubble last season. With his ability to change teams, Casemiro provides the catalyst for modern-day Man Utd, much like Eric Cantona in the defensive midfield version.

There have been many players likened to Cantona, with influence on Man Utd, the closest being Bruno Fernandes. Former midfielder Paul Ince once said that Fernandes had an impact on Man Utd's attack as much as Cantona, when he joined the team in January 2020.

According to former Norwegian striker Jan Age Fjortoft, Casemiro's contract was as influential as Cantona was. The Brazilian player has even more impact, both in attack and defense. According to former midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Casemiro helps "every Man Utd player play better". And Paul Scholes likens Casemiro to Roy Keane.

Howard Wilkinson - the coach who made the mistake of selling Cantona to Man Utd in 1992 - was also present at Wembley on the evening of February 26. And Casemiro wasn't even Man Utd's first choice at first. During the summer of 2022, Ten Hag pursued midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and Casemiro was just a solution to the fire but was successful. De Jong can control the game, and Casemiro has the ability to decide the outcome.

The presence of Casemiro helps a lot for compatriot Fred, so that the 30-year-old midfielder can promote his forte, which is running. The midfield fight at Wembley was fought between the Brazilians, as Fred and Casemiro played Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. The victory and defeat in the middle of this match was shown in the situation where Joelinton was forced to pull Casemiro down at the end of the first half and received a yellow card.

Casemiro is suitable for every match scenario. If Man Utd need to score, he is ready to take on the responsibility of making the ball like five assists since the beginning of the season. In case Man Utd need to step back to preserve the score like before Newcastle, the former Real midfielder knows how to protect the defence. At the end of the first half, Joelinton broke through to the right of Man Utd and passed Diogo Dalot. But Casemiro appeared at the right time to block the ball all the way across. Then, he shouted to stir the audience, stimulate the team spirit.

Before the match, coach Erik ten Hag warned against Newcastle's "annoying" play. But Casemiro is a pragmatic stone expert. All five recent matches for Man Utd, he had to receive cards. But aside from the red card for the controversial situation in the win against Crystal Palace, Casemiro only fouled to receive a yellow card in the late game.

Coach Rafa Benitez has been criticized for prioritizing Casemiro instead of attacking midfielders like James Rodriguez, affecting Real's "Galaxy". By the time of Zinedine Zidane, Casemiro had become irreplaceable, becoming a part of the Milky Way that few would expect. He has effectively supported Luka Modric, Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo during Real's successful years in the Champions League.

Casemiro has for many years been a support for Ronaldo at Real, but now he replaces the Portuguese superstar at Man Utd. A year ago, if asked which former Real player would score the decisive goal to help Man Utd escape empty-handed, many people would answer Ronaldo.

For the past ten years, Man Utd has been engrossed in the pursuit of flashy attacking players, such as Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Paul Pogba or Ronaldo. But success only comes to them thanks to a defensive midfielder, not appreciated for individual technique, like Casemiro.

However, with his increasing goals and assists figures, Casemiro shows that he is more than just a defensive midfielder.