08 Sep 2026 14:37:41
Slightly different topic, but am I the only one who finds it ironic that United signed three midfielders this summer, yet so far it feels like we've failed to replace what Casemiro brought defensively?
Everyone is focusing on the defence, and I agree there are quality issues there. But I don't think we should underestimate the amount of protection Casemiro provided last season. Despite the criticism, he still put up 89 tackles, 30 interceptions and 137 recoveries in the league. That is a huge amount of defensive work being done in front of the back four.
The bigger concern for me is balance. Tielemans and Mainoo seem quite similar in the sense that both want to receive the ball, progress play and dictate possession. They're good footballers, but neither is naturally a destroyer screening the defence. As a result, the midfield can look a bit lightweight without the ball.
Last season we may have got away with some of the defence's shortcomings because Casemiro was doing so much of the ugly side of the game. Take that layer of protection away and suddenly defenders are defending larger spaces, facing more transitions and getting exposed far more often.
I'm hoping Baleba can make a difference. He's much more of a natural ball winning midfielder and on paper, he looks much closer to the type of player needed to balance the midfield than another possession focused midfielder.
I'm not going into transfer window shortcomings. The defence does need replacing, but I also think we've overlooked how much Casemiro was masking those issues.
08 Sep 2026 16:23:32
Kurtis
I spent the summer saying we should buy Alex Scott, who I thought would be the right fit in front of our back four. But what do I know...
08 Sep 2026 17:13:05
Totally agree, it is a major miss and I think Baleba is completely the replacement for Casemiro. Seemingly, he is getting close to fitness and hopefully can provide the cover needed by the defence.
I do think Santos is also a player who can play the position, but needs more experience. I watched all of the pre season games and he was probably the best player of the tour.
He was poor against Hull, but that was pretty much the case for everyone, except Lammens. Seemingly, based on that one game, there are those questioning his signing.
Indeed, it was said that all the midfield signings have not delivered.
Let's not forget there was pretty much universal acceptance that the midfield signings were of a decent standard and should achieve the level of control we have been looking to achieve. Things have not changed significantly in the space of a couple of weeks.
To reach any kind of judgement based upon the games played, levels of fitness at present, and the lack of familiarity with each other, is surely, at best, rather foolish.
A bit more time is needed for all the parts to bed in!
08 Sep 2026 23:39:03
Santos was excellent pre season. Don't get why he hasn't been given a run of games.
{Ed0666's Note - I honestly thought Santos was a real coup for you. Judge him in a few months say.