Roy Keane strongly criticised, then praised former Manchester United star Casemiro as Brazil edged past Japan in a thrilling World Cup round of 32 clash.
Brazil, one of the tournament favourites, were heading for an embarrassing early exit on Monday night, when Kaishƫ Sano gave Japan a deserved lead in the first-half.
Captain Casemiro, who recently departed Old Trafford after four mixed seasons, endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes, getting booked early on before being partly responsible for Sanoâs goal.
Speaking on ITV at half-time, Keane was asked about Brazilâs midfield being a weakness and did not hold back: âA huge worry throughout the competition and itâs cost them.
âThey made a mistake earlier in the game with the midfielders getting out of the position and Casemiroâs already on a yellow card and this certainly affects his decision making in terms of closing the goalscorer down.
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âThey give the ball away cheaply but thereâs still a long way to go. This is the bit thatâs frustrating for me, you see Casemiro, his first movement is to come out.
âHeâs got to be backtracking, protecting the goal, heâs got to be slowing the player down. Heâs an experienced player but itâs no good having all that experience if heâs not going to use it.
âCredit to the attacking midfielder, very, very good, but Casemiro almost guided him to go past him. He had to stay goal-side. Just keep backtracking, slow him down and get numbers around you.
âWell deserved, a very good strike. But from Brazilâs midfield point of view, nowhere near good enough. Iâd be surprised if he comes out for the second-half.â
To much surprise, Carlo Ancelotti did keep his captain on after the break and it proved to be the right decision, as it was Casemiro who scored the equaliser with a trademark header, which prompted a change of heart from Keane.
âObviously, itâs been a great response from half-time, he made one change to get more crosses in, theyâre getting bodies attacking it,â the United legend added.
âWeâve been critical of Casemiro defensively, but we do know heâs a goal threat, always in the box.
âThe delivery, and not just that, Casimiro⊠He sees it all the way, but his timing, my goodness, his timing is fantastic.
âThen again, we shouldnât be surprised because heâs scored so many brilliant goals for United, he is an aerial threat. Heâs like a striker in there, his instinct in the box is like a top striker.â
Casemiro was routinely criticised at United as a defensive liability but earned back respect from fans and pundits last season after emerging as a surprise goal threat, scoring nine times in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old was unable to see out the game however, limping off in injury time and just moments later, he watched on as Arsenalâs Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal in the 95th minute.
Brazil advance to the round of 16 where they will play either Norway or the Ivory Coast, and after the tournament, Casemiro is set to join Lionel Messi at David Beckhamâs Inter Miami side.
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Brazil, one of the tournament favourites, were heading for an embarrassing early exit on Monday night, when Kaishƫ Sano gave Japan a deserved lead in the first-half.
Captain Casemiro, who recently departed Old Trafford after four mixed seasons, endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes, getting booked early on before being partly responsible for Sanoâs goal.
Speaking on ITV at half-time, Keane was asked about Brazilâs midfield being a weakness and did not hold back: âA huge worry throughout the competition and itâs cost them.
âThey made a mistake earlier in the game with the midfielders getting out of the position and Casemiroâs already on a yellow card and this certainly affects his decision making in terms of closing the goalscorer down.
Ask Metro
Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about â powered by Metro and trusted publications.
âThey give the ball away cheaply but thereâs still a long way to go. This is the bit thatâs frustrating for me, you see Casemiro, his first movement is to come out.
âHeâs got to be backtracking, protecting the goal, heâs got to be slowing the player down. Heâs an experienced player but itâs no good having all that experience if heâs not going to use it.
âCredit to the attacking midfielder, very, very good, but Casemiro almost guided him to go past him. He had to stay goal-side. Just keep backtracking, slow him down and get numbers around you.
âWell deserved, a very good strike. But from Brazilâs midfield point of view, nowhere near good enough. Iâd be surprised if he comes out for the second-half.â
To much surprise, Carlo Ancelotti did keep his captain on after the break and it proved to be the right decision, as it was Casemiro who scored the equaliser with a trademark header, which prompted a change of heart from Keane.
âObviously, itâs been a great response from half-time, he made one change to get more crosses in, theyâre getting bodies attacking it,â the United legend added.
âWeâve been critical of Casemiro defensively, but we do know heâs a goal threat, always in the box.
âThe delivery, and not just that, Casimiro⊠He sees it all the way, but his timing, my goodness, his timing is fantastic.
âThen again, we shouldnât be surprised because heâs scored so many brilliant goals for United, he is an aerial threat. Heâs like a striker in there, his instinct in the box is like a top striker.â
Casemiro was routinely criticised at United as a defensive liability but earned back respect from fans and pundits last season after emerging as a surprise goal threat, scoring nine times in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old was unable to see out the game however, limping off in injury time and just moments later, he watched on as Arsenalâs Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal in the 95th minute.
Brazil advance to the round of 16 where they will play either Norway or the Ivory Coast, and after the tournament, Casemiro is set to join Lionel Messi at David Beckhamâs Inter Miami side.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arrow MORE: Manchester United looking to snap up two Man City prospects
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