Ronaldo and Casemiro showing gives Ten Hag and Man Utd another lesson

Suraj Radia

6 Oct 2022 22:19 BST
4 min read

Casemiro, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United — © ProShots

Erik ten Hag may have another name to add to his ‘thank you’ list after Manchester United came from behind to narrowly defeat Cypriot side Omonia in the Europa League.

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Ten Hag had expressed his gratitude to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for teaching his side a lesson after they suffered a humiliating derby defeat to their rivals, and the United boss may have had an additional learning experience from his side in Cyprus.

United gave starts to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and Victor Lindelof but, despite dominating the first half, they went into the break a goal down, prompting a double change from Ten Hag.

The introductions of Luke Shaw and two-goal hero Marcus Rashford, as well fellow goalscorer Anthony Martial later on, helped change United’s fortunes as they eventually ran out 3-2 winners.

The game was perhaps meant as an opportunity for Ronaldo and Casemiro to build up fitness and prove their capabilities to Ten Hag after the Dutch coach was criticised by a host of pundits for the duo’s absence from the starting line-up this season.

But, despite assisting Rashford’s 84th minute winner, Ronaldo showcased his rust by squandering a glorious chance to net his 700th career goal, hitting the post from point-blank range.

The word ‘finished’ trended on Twitter soon after Ronaldo’s miss, highlighting what fans made of the 37-year-old, while Casemiro flattered to deceive against undoubtedly lower quality opposition.

Ten Hag may have been hoping for his side to hit a reset button after their dismal loss to City and, while they did well to grind out a result from an unfavourable position, the failure of some players to make their mark may play on the United manager’s mind.

Class is in session for Ten Hag

United travel to Everton in their next Premier League game and two players who should undoubtedly start will be Rashford and Martial after Ten Hag praised their goalscoring cameos.

Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho were subbed off at half-time, with Ten Hag claiming their ‘on the ball movement’ left much to be desired, meaning Shaw - a goalscorer against City - will likely start at left-back.

The biggest question mark for Ten Hag will be whether to give Ronaldo another start despite his desperate showing in front of goal, with Martial, Rashford and Antony all vying for contention.

Casemiro, meanwhile, couldn’t match the good performances of Scott McTominay in recent weeks but the Brazilian will need game time to adapt and show what he can bring to his new team.

Wow Ronaldo is really finished man pic.twitter.com/6yT3VjRCeR
— mx (@MessiMX30iiii) October 6, 2022

Ultimately the City result compounded United’s need to reset and work towards a consistent line-up instead of one driven by momentum from the club’s previous four-game win streak.

Ronaldo and Casemiro may not have convinced Ten Hag but both players are undoubtedly part of United’s future (in the short-term at least) and will likely feature regularly in the coming weeks.

Ten Hag may have learned that he needs to be patient with his stars while they find their feet in order to keep a happy dressing room and get his team passing their exams with flying colours.