Gary Neville slammed Casemiro for his role in Arsenal’s opening goal against Manchester United.
The Gunners faced a potentially difficult task on Sunday in what was seen by most as a must-win match at Old Trafford, but any initial nerves were allayed by an early goal from Leandro Trossard.
United were going into the match going into the match, with Erik ten Hag’s side still plagued by injuries and fielding their 14th different centre-back of the season.
Despite making a better start than they had in Monday’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, things quickly went south when Trossard intervened as Casemiro struggled to get forward from a goal kick.
Neville slammed the makeshift defender for his role and insisted the mistake had nothing to do with the 32-year-old playing out of position.
Gary Neville slammed Casemiro (pictured) for his role in Leandro Trossard’s goal on Sunday
The makeshift defender (left) failed to get onto the pitch and played Kai Havertz onside to cross in front of goal
Neville (pictured) led the criticism of the Brazilian, saying he should have used his ‘experience in the game’ to identify the problem
“Casemiro has come in for some criticism lately and he will come in for a little more,” the former United defender told Sky Sports. ‘Great from Arsenal, those Arsenal fans in the corner realize that it has been a difficult twenty minutes.
‘As soon as he passes Amrabat, Casemiro must stand up. Watch him jog, you see the ball being played and if he doesn’t, he’s going to get into trouble. Trossard does what any good wide player does, makes that diagonal run inside the full-back, Wan-Bissaka catches out and it’s a simple one in the end.
‘Casemiro’s playing experience, he must have seen that the ball was broken and where Havertz was, he had to get up a little faster.’
The Brazilian, whose international future was thrown into doubt when he was left out of the Copa America squad despite being captain, has fallen to the backline since the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry on April 21.
Since then, the Red Devils have conceded ten goals in four games, including matches against Sheffield United, Burnley and Coventry, with Casemiro clearly struggling to fill a position he is unfamiliar with.
Arsenal’s goal came from a home goal kick, with Casemiro showing a short kick before Andre Onana kicked it long.
Arsenal won the ball, and with Casemiro struggling to get up, Kai Havertz was able to break behind the rest of the backline, stay onside and break into the penalty area to score for Trossard.
“There’s no doubt it won’t be easy for him,” Marcel added. ‘Previously they said in the studio that he needed more protection, and he got that.
‘That is a fundamental mistake. You have to get up quicker and he saunters out and there’s no excuse for that.’
The game ended with Havertz crossing for Trossard to score the first goal of the match
Neville called Casemiro’s actions ‘a fundamental mistake’ and said ‘there is no excuse’ for not getting on the pitch
Wayne Rooney (left) and Roy Keane (right) also scored the goal, echoing Neville’s sentiments
At half-time, Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney scored and were just as ruthless as Neville.
“I don’t know what he did because I’m not even sure he had to cut a corner in front of the goalkeeper,” Keane said. ‘If it goes back to the goalkeeper, why does he make a crazy angle, like he’s going to get it there?
;I’m not saying about sprinting. I’m not saying you have to sprint like a 100 meter sprinter, but you have to get on the field and just move your feet. He has to look across and say, “We’re in trouble here.”
‘I don’t think he needs to cut a corner here. Why is he making a corner? Just stay on the field. This game is hard enough as it is. Whatever you have to do, you have to do the basics right. And they’ve failed to get the basics right time and time again at this point. As an experienced player he has to top that. He does not do that.’
Rooney, meanwhile, added: ‘But that’s the way United play so Casemiro must have worked on that. So he has to get up. As soon as Onana kicks the ball, he has to get up.
‘And then Wan-Bissaka at the back post. I think it’s a tough one because Trossard got off his shoulder smartly. Of course it starts with Onana kicking the ball out, and, as Roy said, Casemiro has to go on the field.’