Outside of Dorival Junior’s list for the Copa América, strongly criticized by his fans and having a turbulent time at Manchester United, Casemiro’s situation in England is beginning to be unsustainable, especially after his poor defensive performance in the recent defeat against Arsenal.
In addition to the rumors that have linked him with a possible departure from the English club in recent weeks, the Brazilian pivot has received fierce criticism from various football legends and more specifically from Manchester United. The former star of the Mancunian club, Wayne Rooney, was the last to join this wave of criticism: “he is lazy,” said the former footballer.
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Wayne Rooney did not forgive Casemiro: “He is lazy”
After Manchester United’s painful defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League, two Manchester United legends, Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane, analyzed the team’s performance in a dialogue with Sky Sports and were very critical of the defensive line, starring by Casemiro and Johnny Evans.
Regarding Casemiro, Rooney considered that the Brazilian is not doing enough to adapt to what the club needs in terms of sacrifice and dedication, especially after a defensive error by Casemiro that cost his team the defeat:
“He (Casemiro) has shown that he is a midfielder and that he is not a natural central defender. “Once United want to play this way, and regardless of whether you are a midfielder or a defender, you have to be ready to press with the rest of the team,” analyzed the former attacker.
"Es perezoso. Es un vago.
El resto de sus compañeros de equipo se escaparon y lo atraparon. Tiene que salir.
Ya seas mediocampista o central, tienes que estar preparado para atacar con el resto del equipo"
😳 Dura crítica de Casemiro a Wayne Rooney. pic.twitter.com/aLxpBO5aRZ
— Pablo Giralt (@giraltpablo) May 14, 2024
During the match, Casemiro had a major defensive failure by not pressing enough, trotting back to the mark and, along the way, enabling Havertz in the play that culminated in Trossard’s goal. Regarding this play, Rooney was also very critical:
“If you play with authorized people, you will be punished. Maybe he’s a little naive for Onana to pass him the ball, but (once the ball goes forward), you have to push him out, you have to see it, he’s lazy. He’s lazy. The rest of his teammates ran away and caught him. Even defending the space, his teammate (Wan-Bissaka) does not realize that there are players around him, Trossard arrives and scores an easy goal,” he concluded.
Roy Keane and Gary Neville also criticized him strongly
Another legend of the English club, Roy Keane, also made strong criticisms of the figure of the Brazilian pivot, stating that he does not have the level to play in the Premier League playing as a central defender:
“Casemiro cannot play in the Premier League as a centre-back. Whatever your flaws, you can’t train rhythm. There was also a bit of laziness in the start that led to the goal. You have to pick up the pace, just move your feet. Casemiro as a center back is discovered, as has happened again today,” he assured Sky Sports .
Another former footballer with an illustrious past for Manchester United, Gary Neville, also joined the fierce criticism of the Brazilian, focusing on his poor reading during the Arsenal goal play:
“Because of Casemiro’s experience in the game, he should have seen that the play had broken down and where Kai Havertz was, he should have gotten up a little faster. (…) That is a basic error, you have to get up faster and he leaves, there is no excuse for that.”, stated the analyst.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first five episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
