Manchester United and former Real Madrid star Casemiro made no secret of his feelings on Barcelona as the Red Devils battled to an entertaining draw at the Camp Nou.
Erik ten Hag’s men secured what could potentially be a useful draw ahead of next week’s Europa League playoff second-leg at Old Trafford. Former Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso had given the Spanish side the lead before Marcus Rashford flipped the tie on its head with a goal of his own before his cross saw Jules Kounde put through his own net.
The Red Devils failed to hold onto their lead as former Leeds star Raphinha levelled matters with just over 15 minutes remaining. Whilst the Brazilian had a key contribution to the game, one of his countrymen Casemiro was also pivotal.
The midfielder was able to play with his domestic ban not counting for European competitions. It also signalled his first appearance against Barcelona since leaving their Clasico rivals Real Madrid for Old Trafford in the summer.
He performed extremely well throughout the game and even found some time to display his true feelings on his former rivals. After successfully ushering the ball out of play, the midfielder was bumped into by Gavi.
The Brazilian then just stared at his opposite number before then chest-bumping with former Real Madrid colleague Raphael Varane in front of the baying Camp Nou crowd. Man Utd fans waxed lyrical following the game.
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One Reddit user wrote: “Seriously, can we please invest in some sort of age-stasis technology? How do you move on from Casemiro? Any change will absolutely be a downgrade from this absolute footballing masterwork.”
Meanwhile, one said: “Absolutely smoked Gavi there, loved every bit of it.”
Another also pointed to Varane’s contributions at the time by claiming that the Real Madrid duo were privy to their actions. They said: “Varane knew exactly what Casemiro was doing and rubbed it in unquestionably.”
Whilst Casemiro’s evening was impressive on the whole, the Brazilian did make one costly blunder after giving the ball away ahead of Barcelona’s late equaliser. Whilst admitting that his midfielder should have been more aware, Ten Hag assured that he was not totally to blame.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Dutch head coach said: “That had nothing to do with being brave. This is a mistake, especially from the formation.”
He added: “I think he can have done better. But what I say, it is a team. I talk about formation, the formation is no good. That’s why the mistake is coming.”
Despite playing against Barcelona, Man Utd will have to do without the services of Casemiro for this weekend’s clash against Leicester at Old Trafford. The game represents the final of his three-game ban following his red card against Crystal Palace.
