Casemiro was the deadlock breaker once again for Michael Carrick, and what the Man Utd manager did for him showed why he just gets the job.
Michael Carrick has been on a mission to restore the old guard of Man Utd despite being in charge for less than half a season at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has been the biggest beneficiary of the same, as the goal against Villa in the 3-1 win marked his seventh of the season.
Carrick noted the contribution from the Brazilian and curated an underrated moment for him just before the full-time whistle.
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Michael Carrick’s underrated moment for Casemiro
Carrick trusted Casemiro from the moment he became Man Utd manager, but how he used the Brazilian still had some sense of caution.
He was the first name on the teamsheet, but would almost always get subbed off late in games as he looked like he was running out of gas.
That changed after the first few games, largely because the team fell apart in his absence, but also because the player himself went the extra mile and didn’t let his levels drop.
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That is why it was so notable that against Aston Villa, when the game was already won, Carrick chose to sub off Casemiro in the 90th minute.
Manuel Ugarte came on, and it was clear that Carrick’s intention behind the sub was to ensure that Casemiro received a personal standing ovation from the Old Trafford faithful.
It’s a gesture often made to give a player special attention if the circumstances allow, and a 3-1 lead was an ideal situation for the Brazilian to earn well-deserved special applause.
Man Utd fans would have chanted Casemiro’s name after the full-time whistle as well, but Carrick’s decision wouldn’t have been lost on the veteran.
Carrick’s decision shows he gets the job
Football has become so “tactics-coded” these days, as the players get turned into robots by the managers, that it is often forgotten that these are still humans at the heart of the action.
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They need an arm around the shoulder sometimes, and a little public appreciation goes a long way towards making them feel wanted.
That, in turn, leads them to perform at a level higher than usual, driven by the sense of repaying the loyalty the manager has shown towards them.
Carrick has that throwback skill of putting the players at the centre of his plans, which sounds awfully simple but rarely gets brought up in this current era of systems and philosophies.
Ask Casemiro what he’d be willing to do for Carrick on the pitch now, and it’s a guarantee that it will far outweigh anything that a system can get out of him.
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