Casemiro produced a strong performance for Manchester United in their clash against Real Sociedad earlier this week.
Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 clash at the Reale Arena.
Ruben Amorim’s side controlled the game for the first 70 minutes and took a deserved lead through Joshua Zirkzee.
However, United were left frustrated when VAR awarded Sociedad a penalty for a handball by Bruno Fernandes, allowing the hosts to level the score.
Despite late pressure from Sociedad, United held firm, keeping the tie finely poised ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford next week.
Casemiro explains United’s big issue vs Sociedad
Casemiro was brought back into the team by Amorim as Manuel Ugarte missed out on the trip due to a minor injury.
The Brazilian midfielder produced a solid performance in a decent overall team display, yet United were unable to take a lead heading back to Old Trafford.
United are missing a cutting edge in the final third and Casemiro suggests that the forwards have to adapt to what someone like Bruno Fernandes wants them to do.
“I’ve played here many times and I know how difficult it is. They’re a team who play very good football, have a lot of quality and a great fan base,” Casemiro told UEFA.
“We controlled the match well; perhaps we lacked a bit of accuracy up front, but we had opportunities to score. There’s still the second leg and it’s going to be a very nice game.
“We lacked precision. We often want to finish [chances] quickly. The players we have there have a lot of quality, especially Bruno Fernandes. We have to understand a little more what he wants, because he’s a great player.”
United are rushing in final third
No United attacker should be stood still when Fernandes is on the ball. This should be the moment that the likes of Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho jump into gear and make their runs.
Then, like Casemiro said, United’s players need to calm themselves down when shooting. It’s almost like they want to get the shot out of the way, rather than score it.
For the Brazilian, he will be hoping to continue performing well for United. He has had some promising displays in recent weeks and his passing has been a big plus in the midfield.
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He will certainly want to play in the return leg next week, where United will be hoping to take their chances against Sociedad and progress.
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