FIVE ASIDES Premier League: United 4, Chelsea 1
‘Tell them I’ll fix it,’ Casemiro said, and he has. United had just been battered at Brentford, and a Brazilian superstar, watching in Madrid with five Champions League medals hanging on the wall, could have been forgiven for thinking ‘This isn’t for me’. Instead it seems to have made him all the more eager to move to Manchester and clear up the mess. In 49 appearances since he’s been a model professional in every facet of the game except the one he was famous for at Real – avoiding red cards.
Casemiro is a big enough character to spot the big moment and make it his own. He scored the first goal in the League Cup final, the only goal against Bournemouth last weekend, the first goal last night. Even after that Chelsea, in their weird haphazard way, kept on getting good chances, so Casemiro could see that a second goal was needed. He created it with a sublime little through ball to Jadon Sancho that turned out to be a no-look pass. His timing, just before half-time, was impeccable. Signed as a defensive shield, he has turned into a rapier too. After scoring a goal every ten games throughout his career with Real and Brazil, he has one every seven games for United.
Tell me why I don’t like Thursdays. There’s something about the Thursday-Sunday routine that is tougher and more taxing than Wednesday-Saturday. All 12 of United’s European games this season were on a Thursday, as was their first League Cup match (the 4-2 win over Villa), and then, with a twist of sadism, the Premier League decided to throw in three Thursdays in the past month – Spurs away, Brighton away and Chelsea home. This was the 16th and last Thursday fixture of the season, and with it United freed themselves from another year of the Thursday treadmill. ‘See you in the Champions League,’ I said to the young guy in the newsagent’s, who supports Arsenal. For a long time, United fans could say that to Arsenal fans every year, yet this was the first opportunity since 2015.
Antony’s injury, agonising as it was for him, was a blessing in disguise for the team. It meant that Marcus Rashford came on half an hour ahead of schedule, which led to him collecting his 30th goal of a fabulous season. It gave United more pace and punch and purpose. And it forced Jadon Sancho to play on the right, where he was a natural in his Dortmund days. He maintained his recent pattern of making good decisions in the box and bad ones outside it, but the best of the good ones – the simple square ball that gave Anthony Martial a tap-in for the second goal – was a big plus in two ways. It should have boosted Sancho’s fragile confidence, and it gives Erik ten Hag a plan B for the Cup Final. Plan A was probably already putting Bruno Fernandes on the right, where he shone in the win over City in January, so that Fred can come in and add bite while Christian Eriksen inches forward into the No 10 role. Ten Hag can still have all that and start Sancho on the left, with Rashford up front, or he can start Rashford wide with Martial through the middle. As Kyle Walker is the defender in the land best equipped to keep up with Rashford, it may be wise to let Rashford lead the line and terrorise the centre-backs, while Sancho starts on the left.
Because of the World Cup, it’s been a season of two halves. In the first one, which spanned three and a half months, Arsenal were the runaway champions and United finished fifth with 26 points from 14 games. Not bad given the double débâcle with which the Ten Hag era had begun. In the second half, with one game to go, City are the runaway champions and United are lying second, with 46 points from 23 games. Before Christmas they were one place below Spurs; since Christmas they’ve been one place above Arsenal. Before Christmas their goal difference was zero; since then, it’s been +14. Anywhere but Anfield, it’s been +21.
United have done it despite having the heaviest fixture list in Europe. They’ve done it despite falling out with the most famous player of the age. They’ve done it despite often being without one or more of Casemiro, Eriksen, Varane and Martinez. They’ve done it despite having awful owners who can’t even agree on how to sell the club. It’s a triumph, for the whole club, and especially for Ten Hag – for his clarity, bravery, tenacity and vision.
Tim de Lisle is the editor of United Writing and a sportswriter for The Guardian. If you’re on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing. If you received this piece by email, please feel free to forward it to the nearest Red.