Michael Carrick has leaned heavily on the Casemiro-Kobbie Mainoo pairing in midfield and it has paid off dearly so far.
Both players have thrived alongside each other and helped the Red Devils equal their longest unbeaten run of the season. It’s now four wins and one draw in five games for the interim manager.
But he has tinkered with their roles, especially when compared to how Ruben Amorim saw them. He rarely ever played Mainoo, who has already seen more game time under Carrick (449 minutes) than under Amorim (397) in the whole season.
For perspective, Mainoo actually replaced Casemiro in five of his six final matches with the Portuguese at the helm, rather than sharing the pitch with him.
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What is Michael Carrick doing differently with Casemiro at Man United?
Tactical flexibility
Watching Casemiro now, he looks like a more complete player, who’s participating in all phases of the game more often. It feels like the range of his actions has increased, rather than just being a destroyer who sits in front of the backline to protect it.
He is still the main defensive option in midfield who plays the deepest. If Manchester United decide to press higher up, it’s Kobbie Mainoo who will take the step forward and break the double-pivot shape.
But Carrick has also given him freedom to join the attack more frequently. Judging by his on-ball actions, he has been operating on both ends more ‘dramatically’. Under Amorim, it was a slightly more reduced zone of the pitch.
As a result, his tackles and overall defensive presence have dropped a little. But he is usually the first in line to counter-press or win second balls while he’s forward, which is also useful for Man United to regain possession after losing it.
Attacking presence
Speaking of which, Casemiro has spent more time in the attacking third – as the previous table shows. But the dynamics that lead to that increase are fascinating.
Manchester United play with a double pivot of a more techincally gifted player (Kobbie Mainoo) and a more defensive-minded midfielder (Casemiro).
Logically, during build-up, Casemiro would be closer to defenders to initiate the actions while Mainoo sits further up where he can use his skills to find through balls, dribble around tight spaces and connect with other attacking-minded midfielders and forwards.
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But Michael Carrick has flipped this dynamic to have Mainoo deeper, where he can drag the team out of the defence and into the attacking half. But in order for that to happen, he needs space. If Casemiro is too close, he’ll attract attention and there will be more opponents near Mainoo.
So Casemiro has been seen between opposing lines quite often as of late, almost like a number eight or ten, waiting for a forward pass. The Red Devils explored this zone quite easily against Tottenham, for instance, when the Brazilian nearly led the team in shots (4, fewer only than Bruno Fernandes’ eight).
This doesn’t exactly manifest in heat maps, considering he doesn’t receive the ball in those positions all the time. But off the ball, the movement is clear for everyone to see. They abandon the double-pivot shape with Casemiro way ahead of Mainoo.
| Casemiro Touches | Under Michael Carrick | Under Ruben Amorim |
|---|---|---|
| Attacking third | 16.8 | 11.1 |
| Middle third | 36.2 | 41.5 |
| Defending third | 18.7 | 18.0 |
World Cup hopes
In all fairness, Casemiro was already playing well under Ruben Amorim. It’s not like Michael Carrick turned him from bad to good overnight – he just tapped into a different part of his game.
But his form this season has propelled him straight back to the starting lineup in the Brazilian national team. He even wars the captain’s armband whenever Marquinhos doesn’t play. Of course, the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti last May also helped.
Previous manager Dorival Junior prioritised a different profile of midfielder in his call-ups. Bruno Guimaraes has been a constant presence with every head coach. But the likes of Andre, Joelinton, Joao Gomes, Gerson and even Lucas Paqueta in a deeper role usually got the nod over Casemiro. He was even left out of the squad for the 2024 Copa America.
But things have changed since. The Man United midfielder featured in the Italian’s first call-up and started all but one of the eight games with Ancelotti. The exception was the last matchday of Conmebol Qualifiers, in which Brazil went with an alternate lineup and Casemiro was suspended anyway.
He is basically guaranteed to start in the upcoming World Cup alongside Guimaraes in the heart of Brazil’s midfield. The way Carrick has used him and how he’s responded will certainly increase the chances even more.