Manchester United have had a tough start to the 2023-24 season, but after consecutive wins things are looking up for the Reds.
Erik ten Hag and his players received plenty of criticism after United lost three games on the bounce. It came mostly from pundits looking to focus on how the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have looked lethargic and past their best.
However, Casemiro was at his very best on Tuesday night when United beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Carabao Cup.
Casemiro scored his fourth goal of the season and registered an assist for Anthony Martial to secure United’s place in the fourth round.
Silvestre attributes Casemiro’s poor start to the season to the Brazilian playing as a lone defensive midfielder. The former United defender believes he’ll do better when he has someone with a defensive mindset alongside him – which I felt was the case with Sofyan Amrabat during the week, even when the Moroccan played at left-back in the first-half.
“For Casemiro to shine, the team needs to be organised and control the midfield, and we’ve not seen that this season,” Silvestre told bettingexpert.com.
“He’s an excellent player, but alone in midfield, doing the dirty work, that won’t be enough to stop the opposition from progressing and creating chances. So, he needs to receive the support, the help and consistency from the defenders.
“Casemiro alongside another defensive midfielder. If you put him with Scott and previously with Fred, you can see the performance of the team. But for him, if you put him with Eriksen, whose profile is not defensive, it’s a big task. One man alone can’t do it.”
In a similar fashion, Silvestre feels the best has yet to come from Eriksen this season, especially in games United have total control in.
“The team is not in control enough for players like Eriksen to shine. I believe they are top pros, and they’re doing their best. They’re putting their best effort in. We can’t question the commitment of Christian Eriksen, Bruno, Casemiro.
“It’s the collective situation that needs to be changed. And when you don’t control games like they did last season, for a period of time, then you see these types of performances against Brighton, against Bayern Munich.”
Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
