In his beginning is his end; now the night falls. Two years ago, before their third game of the season, against Liverpool, having lost one of the games they had played 2-1 to Brighton, Manchester United presented Casemiro to an adoring crowd at Old Trafford. At the weekend, before their third game of the season, against Liverpool, having lost one of the games they had played 2-1 to Brighton, Manchester United withdrew Casemiro to a desperate crowd at Old Trafford. Two years ago, United won 2-1; on Sunday they lost 3-0, and it could have been a lot worse.
It was, frankly, painful to watch: a player who had once dominated matches, won four Champions Leagues, been an integral part of one of the most successful teams in history, reduced to a player so lacking in confidence that even starting XI seemed a challenge. The early signs of this season had been promising. There was a sense that Casemiro was sharper again, that the fitness concerns that had plagued last season had perhaps been overcome. But on Sunday his passing accuracy was just 73%, well below what is acceptable for a defensive midfielder, and his errors cost the first two goals.
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And yet there is context. Eleven minutes into the second half, Kobbie Mainoo was dispossessed, setting up Liverpool’s third. Manuel Ugarte, presented before kick-off following his £42m ($55m) move from Paris Saint-Germain, must have been wondering what he had gotten himself into. United’s position as holders is like the Siege Perilous in Arthurian legend; eventually someone worthy of reaching the Holy Grail will come along, but until then, whoever takes that position is doomed.
It’s not just about individuals. United seem to be in a similar position to Arsenal before Mikel Areta. The structure has failed and so the hopes are pinned on individuals. That’s crazy enough when the player in question is as talented as Mesut Özil, but ultimately you believe that Nicolas Pepe is the answer to your prayers. Ugarte may be an improvement on Casemiro, but no player can ever be the answer.
Ugarte needs a better system around him and that’s where the focus starts to shift and the camera comes to rest on Erik ten Hag. Even with the position they inherited, how is it that Arne Slot, three games into his reign at Anfield, has created a more cohesive midfield than Ten Hag, now in his third year at Old Trafford, has done. How is it that of all the former Ajax players on the pitch on Sunday, Ryan Gravenberch was the best?
Take the first goal. As the ball is played back to Casemiro, both full-backs have started to advance. He chooses an ambitious one-touch pass to Diogo Dalot, but Gravenberch intercepts and suddenly Liverpool have a five-a-side break. The pass selection was obviously terrible, but why were there so few options for him?
Or the second goal: a weak pass from Noussair Mazraoui puts Casemiro under pressure. The two players closest to him, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, are marked, while Joshua Zirkzee is free but static, and the way Casemiro has had to bring the underhit ball to him makes a pass in that corner difficult. At the moment Casemiro is pushed off the ball by Luis Díaz, the six players closest to him are in white shirts. Everything after that is far too easy for Liverpool.
Or the third goal: when Mainoo is pushed off the ball, he is surrounded by four Liverpool players. One pass creates a four-on-two break. These are systemic problems. Perhaps the hole in the middle of the doughnut is not as pronounced as last season, but the problems in central midfield remain for United: players are ambushed and there is no cover when the ball is lost.
The defeat at Brighton the week before was the result of a fundamental lack of defensive commitment, which in some ways is worse, but could at least be solved by professional players simply behaving like professional players. Midfield structures are about the manager. It’s early days yet, but this looks like the future United must have feared when Ten Hag was reluctantly retained: the same problems as last season, the same shortcomings, now with Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford in the stands and a few more Dutchmen on the pitch.
Victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final was a great moment for United, perhaps their best day since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club a decade ago. But the danger was always that it was a one-off and that keeping Ten Hag in office would delay the next stage of their development.
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This is an excerpt from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, the Guardian US’s weekly look at the game in Europe and beyond. Register here for free. Got a question for Jonathan? Email him at soccerwithjw@theguardian.com and he’ll feature the best answer in a future edition