FIVE ASIDES Premier League: United 2, Leeds 2
Why is Casemiro like the Lord? Because he giveth and he taketh away. As soon as he arrived in the first team, United became hard to score against and very hard to beat. But when he gets suspended they fall apart. His yellow card at Crystal Palace cost them at least one point at Arsenal, perhaps all three. His red card in the return fixture cost them two points against Leeds. Wilfried Gnonto’s goal in the first minute was partly down to a phenomenal finish (so Gnonchalant), but the build-up to it – a slick one-two with Patrick Bamford – went through a Casemiro-shaped hole. He would have got a block in, or a foul, and, in his capacity as what Erik ten Hag calls ‘the cement between the stones’, he might well have brought order to the helpless swarm of red shirts around Gnonto.
Without him United are not title contenders. They keep creeping up on the two front-runners, only to fall away again. Fred, so useful when trotting on in the 70th minute with his smiling energy, still isn’t up to starting. He’s a fetcher and carrier, not a midfield general. Statman Dave, who watched United as closely as anyone, went so far as to call Fred’s performance ‘very irresponsible’. Marcel Sabitzer is classier, more inclined to take charge, and should soon be scoring with his screamers, but you can’t expect an understudy to run the show right away.
Against Leeds, with their intense pressing, it wasn’t just Casemiro and Christian Eriksen who were missed. United could have done with Scott McTominay, who showed by scoring twice in the first three minutes of the 6-2 rout in 2020 that he could beat Leeds at their own game. In his absence, Ten Hag has given Victor Lindelof a few minutes as a stand-in pivot, but I suspect he’s picked the wrong ball-playing defender. The man who could add the most to the midfield is Lisandro Martinez with his tireless tenacity. United have centre-backs to spare at the moment, so the most effective back six for Elland Road on Sunday might be this one: Wan-Bissaka (if recovered), Varane, Shaw, Malacia (or Maguire, Shaw); Sabitzer, Martinez. I would bring back Aaron Wan-Bissaka because he knows how to deal with dynamic wingers called Wilfried. Diogo Dalot can come on if United need crosses, like his peach of an assist for Marcus Rashford.
Still, there were some big pluses. United showed a lot of spirit. The last time they went two down at home, to Brighton on the opening day, they didn’t have it in them to salvage a draw. This time they came storming back with two goals in nine minutes. That hot spell began three minutes after Ten Hag took off Wout Weghorst (the centre forward who’s such a team player, he hardly ever scores), moved Rashford to the front and sent on Jadon Sancho. After being subjected to some pathetic taunts by the Leeds fans, Rashford and Sancho shut them up with a goal apiece. Rashford scoring is now de rigueur, though it’s still a revelation when he comes out with a Ronaldo-style header. Sancho scoring is a big step on his way back from the wilderness to the top.
United would have won if Rapha Varane had been able to direct his late header better, or if Alejandro Garnacho’s finishing had been anything like Gnonto’s. When Garnacho starts, he just confirms that he’s a scintillating sub. His decision-making, so precocious when he comes off the bench, goes a bit teenage, a bit self-centred, when he has more time to play with. The best front three for Sunday is surely the one that turned things round on Wednesday – Rashford down the middle, Sancho on the left and Facundo Pellistri (whose energy played a part in Rashford’s goal) on the right. Rashford and Sancho will swap positions without being told to: they’re on the same wavelength, Rashford is lethal whether he’s on the left or up front, and Sancho’s superpower is that he becomes more clinical when running into traffic. Starting Rashford on the right to let Garnacho go on the left was an unforced error from Ten Hag, because it sacrificed United’s greatest strength. Leeds will be hoping he does it again at Elland Road.
Tim de Lisle writes about sport for The Guardian and music for The Mail on Sunday. If you’re still on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing.