Casemiro had a tough start to his World Cup 2026 campaign. Don’t write him off.
Manchester United waved goodbye to Casemiro at the end of last season after four seasons at Old Trafford.
Casemiro has gone straight into action at the World Cup with Brazil, which is likely to be his last attempt to win the trophy for his national side.
Brazil kicked off with a 1-1 draw against Morocco, and he did not cover himself with glory. He was booked in the first half and substituted after 45 minutes.
The Brazilian press tore into Casemiro with their player ratings, and the fan votes were even worse.
The reaction from Brazilian pundits has also been unforgiving.
Casemiro has forced Jamie Carragher into publicly acknowledging his criticism was wrong…
Should Carragher go further and issue a direct apology to Casemiro for his comments?
Brazilian personalities blast Casemiro
Commentator Paulo Nunes told newspaper Globo that he felt Casemiro made it tough for his teammates.
He said: “Casemiro was far below par today. He had one of the worst games of this cycle since he returned to playing. He made it difficult for Bruno Guimaraes and for Paqueta.”
Former midfielder Felipe Melo tried to explain why it went wrong for the veteran midfielder.
He said: “I think it’s the sum of things. He wasn’t doing well, he was doing very badly. Poorly positioned. He’s largely to blame for Morocco’s goal.”
Former Brazil midfielder Neto told ESPN that he wants to see changes. He blasted: “This Ancelotti is a joke. He picks the team badly.
“How long have I been saying that Casemiro isn’t fit to play football? Paqueta? Paquetá’s little dance? He’s useless.”
Analyst Danilo Lavieri hit out via UOL Esporte: I was very disappointed with Casemiro’s performance, my friends, he was terrible. It was absurd.
“Today he was very bad, he made Brazil’s midfield stiff. He’d get the ball and take a long time to react, but you could see he wanted to do something and didn’t react, it seemed like his body wasn’t responding.”
Former Brazil boss Vanderlei Luxemburgo questioned the tactical set up, telling ESPN: “Casemiro, I think he can’t handle playing in midfield with just two players anymore, he needs three.”
How far will Noussair Mazraoui’s Morocco go at World Cup 2026?
Casemiro deserves more respect
I think it is fair to say Casemiro deserves more respect. He is also used to being criticised and written off.
Jamie Carragher famously blasted Casemiro at the end of his second season at Manchester United, and was later forced to issue a public apology.
Casemiro made it his mission to prove his doubters wrong, and succeeded.
At the 2022 World Cup, Argentina lost their opener to Saudi Arabia, and went on to win the tournament. Brazil should not be disheartened by a 1-1 draw to Morocco.
Casemiro starting slowly should not be a surprise. It is almost three weeks since Manchester United’s season finished, and he will have lost a little sharpness.
Once he gets into the rhythm of the tournament, we could see the best of him. He has at times been a slow starter for United too.
The Brazilian pundits could soon be eating their words.
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