Manchester United's slender 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday marked their 12th Premier League win of the season by a one-goal margin.
In the absence of having a world-class striker at the forefront of their attack, United have relied on narrow victories, backed up by a sturdy defence, to get the job done on several occasions this season. The victory on the south coast, though it was not one for the ages, has put them on the brink of wrapping up a top four finish and securing Champions League qualification.
They now require just one point from their last two games, meaning you would have to be very brave to bet against them getting the job done. Chelsea visit Old Trafford on Thursday night before Fulham visit on M16 on the final day of the season on Sunday.
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United will head into both fixtures as strong favourites to scoop all three points because of their impressive home record this season, but they still risk finishing the campaign without blowing anybody away. Their biggest home victory in the league this season is 3-0 - a scoreline that they have achieved on three separate occasions.
It is a statistic that once again highlights their desperate need to bolster their attacking options this forthcoming summer with the addition of a new goal-getter. Every man and his dog knows that United need a new striker and that is going to be their primary focus over the summer.
Despite that obvious requirement, United have still had enough talent within their ranks this season to put teams to the sword a lot more frequently than they have done. With the exception of Marcus Rashford, who has carried the goalscoring burden this term, nobody has stepped up on a consistent basis to deliver the goods.
Bruno Fernandes is United's second-highest goalscorer this season in all competitions, netting 11 goals, while Anthony Martial and Antony are equally tied on eight each. For two players that cost the Reds so much money, Ten Hag would have expected better, although Antony may be cut some slack due to this season being an adaptation one for him.
But when you dive a little deeper into the statistics relating to United's attacking output this term, you soon discover that Casemiro has been one of their most potent attackers. After scoring the winner at Bournemouth, he has now chipped in with six goals and six assists this season, meaning only Rashford and Fernandes have more direct goal contributions this term than the Brazilian's tally of 12.
Fred, Antony and Martial all have 11 when you combine their goals and assists tallies, meaning Casemiro has been United's third most successful attacker this season. Considering he was added to Erik ten Hag's squad to offer a much-needed defensive presence in midfield last August, it is a statistic that is quite hard to overlook.
Of course, it is not a criticism of the former Real Madrid ace; it is brilliant that he has been able to impact United's attacking play from a deeper position. However, it highlights their need for attacking reinforcements more than ever.
Casemiro, despite often being a frequent source of goals and assists during his time at Madrid, registering ten direct goal contributions in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2019/20, as well as 13 in 2020/21, was not expected to offer such a respectable number in his first season at Old Trafford. It has been added bonus on top of the quality and control he has brought to what was a previously broken midfield.
The intelligence of the former Porto loanee's run and the quality of his finish at Bournemouth, for instance, was simply sensational. He is an outstanding operator and he has played an instrumental role in transforming the Reds' fortunes this season.
But the fact he is now third on United's tally of attacking contributors this season says a lot about those ahead of him on the pitch who should be doing more to increase the club's attacking output. He has set an example that needs to be followed by those who should be doing more to contribute to putting the ball in the back of the net.
Twelve direct goal contributions is an impressive tally for a player that spends most of the same sitting just in front of the back-four, tasked with protecting them and keeping things neat and tidy. The Brazilian has played his part and now needs others to step up and join him.
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