Ten Hag’s 7/10 star just saved his Man Utd career

Manchester United suffered penalty heartbreak against their cross-city rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was a game with few shots on target, just three altogether, with both goals coming in the final ten minutes of the game.

The first half was fairly equal, with City slightly dominating the ball more, although United created the better chances. Marcus Rashford came close for the Red Devils but fired wide, and Amad couldn’t quite cap off a fluid move after his pass ended up slightly out of the reach of Mason Mount.

It was United who opened the scoring after threatening a few times in the second half, notably through Rashford who hit the post. A direct run from Alejandro Garnacho carved the City defence open before his left-footed effort found the bottom right corner with impressive precision.

The Cityzens, however, equalised thanks to a good header by Bernardo Silva, rising highest to head home into an empty net. The draw meant a penalty shootout, in which United had the advantage after Silva had his shot saved from 12 yards. However, misses from Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans meant City sealed the trophy.

There were certainly some standout performances from those in Red which will no doubt have impressed Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.

Alejandro Garnacho’s game vs. Man City in numbers

After replacing Amad at the 59-minute mark, Garnacho lit up Wembley. The young Argentine’s impact off the bench was electric, and ultimately proved to be crucial for United. At one stage, his 82nd-minute goal, tucked away on his weaker foot past Ederson with such placement, seemed to be decisive until Bernardo equalised with one minute left of normal time.

According to Sofascore, the 20-year-old touched the ball just 13 times, but sometimes that is all a player needs, as he showed. Aside from his goal, Garnacho played one key pass and created one big chance, the cross from which Rashford hit the post by a marginal distance. The youngster also fired home his penalty cooly, showing incredible composure in a high-pressure environment at such a young age.

The youngster was given an 8/10 for his performance by the Manchester Evening News, with Samuel Luckhurst hailing his ‘brilliant’ contributions including the cross for Rashford and his superb goal.

It was certainly a bright performance from the Copa America winner, who seems like he will only get better over the course of the 2024/25 season.

Casemiro’s game vs. Man City in numbers

Someone who perhaps performed better than Garnacho at a sunny Wembley Stadium was Casemiro. The experienced Brazilian came under fire for his performances last season, which were deemed below par at times by the likes of Jamie Carragher – who suggested that he “needs to call it a day”.

However, the 32-year-old was excellent against the Cityzens. He kept the ball well in midfield, progressing play nicely and working hard out of possession. Casemiro did not overcommit into duels like last season and instead consistently and effectively won the ball back.

This was reflected in his stats on Sofaccore at full-time. The former Real Madrid star had 65 touches of the ball, completing 38 out of 45 of his passes, which was an 84% completion rate. Off the ball, United’s number 18 won 10 out of his 17 duels and seven from his nine attempted tackles.

This warranted a 7/10 rating from Luckhurst, who noted that he was ‘effective’ as an attacking midfielder, praising the fact he was able to create chances for Amad and Rashford during the game.

It was certainly an encouraging performance from the veteran asset, who will be hoping his fortunes can change this season and he can rediscover his old form. Without doubt, Ten Hag would like to see the best version of Casemiro in that famous red shirt as they look to climb the table this season.

Despite lingering rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia, perhaps the £350k-per-week man has shown that there is life in the old dog yet.