"We have a mirror here, which is Man City" - Casemiro urges Manchester United to follow rivals' blueprint after 3-1 derby defeat
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro believes the Red Devils must follow Manchester City's blueprint to succeed.
Casemiro and Co. failed to impress during their 3-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola's team on Sunday (March 3). Despite an early Marcus Rashford strike (8'), the hosts dominated proceedings and eventually netted thrice after the interval (56', 80', 91').
Speaking about reaching the heights of Manchester City, the Brazilian midfielder said post-match (via The People's Person):
“That is the big objective, we also have to be humble to accept that they are at the moment, not in history, as the history of Manchester United speaks for itself, but they are today the team to beat. Everyone wants to beat City. We have a mirror here, which is City, and they have been doing a great job."
In the last decade, Manchester City have won six Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy, among other honors. The Red Devils, meanwhile, have enjoyed FA Cup (2016) and Europa League (2017) success in this period.
About the game, Casemiro added:
"We started well. We know that City like to have control of the game, but we were always comfortable. Of course, when they press you, they always create opportunities, but we also had some opportunities to make counterattacks. It ended up that We went back to the 2nd half and conceded the goal very early."
On the night, Manchester City dominated possession (73%), took 27 shots compared to Manchester United's three, and tested Andre Onana eight times.
Bruno Fernandes eyes top-4 finish after Manchester United's defeat to Manchester City
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes believes his team can still get into the Champions League spots this season. The Red Devils are sixth in the Premier League, 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
They've now suffered consecutive league defeats and host Everton at Old Trafford next Saturday (March 9). After losing the Manchester derby, Fernandes told his club's media channels (via Mirror):
"We need to look forward. We don't depend only on ourselves to get into the positions we want. We're not hiding from that, we want to be in the Champions League and we want to try until the end of the season to get into that fourth place."
A game against the Toffees could help Erik ten Hag's side get back to winning ways. The Merseyside outfit are currently 16th in the league, five points clear of the relegation zone.