Kobbie Mainoo continues to play like a man possessed on his post-Ruben Amorim revenge tour, and Dimitar Berbatov thinks it’s because his teammate unleashes him.
Much has been made about Kobbie Mainoo proving Ruben Amorim and all his doubters wrong in these four games under Michael Carrick.
He is reaching new heights every single game, despite only starting his first league game against Man City when Carrick took over.
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Berbatov said before the game that a certain Man Utd teammate is responsible for unleashing his and Matheus Cunha’s best. The Spurs game proved it.
Dimitar Berbatov made crucial Mainoo-Cunha point
Mainoo deserves immense credit for taking his opportunity with both hands, and Cunha has also done the same despite loving life under Amorim as well.
However, it’s undeniable that both have unlocked another level to their game since his departure, making an impact regardless of whether they score or assist.
Berbatov had made a point before the game to give the duo their flowers, but not before naming Casemiro as the key to making it all work.
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He said: “[Casemiro] has been fantastic offensively, defensively, the passing, such as that no-look pass last week, and improvisation, and the things you would expect from someone with his experience and the influence he has on players like Mainoo and Cunha.”
Not enough credit can be given to Casemiro for how professionally he has gone about things at the club despite being set to leave at the end of the season.
Mainoo’s game, in particular, against Spurs, proved Berbatov was right about Casemiro’s influence.
Casemiro unleashes Mainoo to do his best
It’s poetic that the exact midfield duo Amorim was reticent to field is doing the job for Carrick at the moment, and dominatingly so.
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Against Spurs, Mainoo again played like a man on a mission, and his partnership with Casemiro unleashes the best of each other perfectly.
Mainoo has a free role to press the opposition and cut passing lanes so he can launch attacks further forward, while Casemiro holds the fort and plays passes from deep.
It’s not a coincidence that the midfield’s fluency looks off when Casemiro is replaced by Manuel Ugarte, as Mainoo has to do more work off the ball, and he doesn’t have another player to play one-two passes with.
Mainoo comes alive in close spaces as a pressure-release valve, and for that, he needs Casemiro’s combativeness in open spaces.
Berbatov was proven right by Mainoo and Casemiro against Spurs. They make each other tick.
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