Zidane and his Guardian Angel
Zidane's departure in May 2018, just like his appointment in January 2016 was met with a lot of raised eyebrows. Back in 2016, what was looked upon with even more speculation was his decision to include a young defensive midfielder in the star-studded Madrid staring 11. Madrid with Ramos and Pepe in their backline were very solid at the back and could have easily splashed in cash for another attacking midfielder.
But Zidane wanted to add structure to Real's defensive stance. Critics started attacking Zidane labeling him "tactically weak" and accused Casemiro of being too defensive. And after a long 3 years at Madrid, Zinedine Zidane has walked away after winning a third consecutive Champions League, proving all his critics wrong.
ZIZOU: The Scriptwriter
The spell Zidane had under Ancelotti, as his assistant during Madrid’s Decima season was critical for the French man. This spell helped him identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every Madrid player. Zidane was appointed after Rafa Benitez was fired on Jan 4, 2016. His charisma and his achievements as a player made him the ideal coach for Real Madrid.
Zidane built his team around a conservative 4–3-3 structure. He knew that organization was the key to building a successful team and decided to add structure to Real's defensive stance.
Zidane knew Real Madrid would never be a perfect defensive team with the excessive attacking options they have. Plugging passing lanes and playing a balanced scheme could mask their frailties. Having played beside Makelele in midfield, Zidane knew the importance of a good defensive midfielder.
He needed a player who could win one on one situations on a consistent basis, one who could break up attacks and most importantly an engine which could run for 90 mins. Zidane wanted him to sit just behind the creative duo of Kroos and Modric. Including a defensive midfielder would also make it easier for their skilled fullbacks to play higher up the pitch, and put in more crosses.
Keeping all this in mind Zidane decided to include his guardian angel in the 11 and the decision turned out to be one of the main reasons why Madrid have won a lot recently.
CASEMIRO: The one behind the curtain
Modern football demands the players to take on the dirty work and for Real Madrid, Casemiro was the one responsible. Real Madrid presses high up the pitch very often, leaving the back line exposed.
It is Casemiro that keeps the base of the press solid, protecting the centre-backs by hoovering up any balls that fall into the area ahead of them, and he rarely gives the ball away. Apart from covering the defense, Casemiro also shuts down the passing lines making life difficult for the opposition midfielders.
His covering up is the actual reason why Marcelo can go up and attack. In his first eight games in charge the Real the coach only gave Casemiro 21 minutes. But after the defeat to Atletico, when Zidane said his side had to “get stuck in more,” and Casemiro was given more time. Just like Zidane wanted, the midfield glue brought balance and stability to his side.
And most importantly he was tidy and recycled the ball to his more august midfield colleagues. Real have won almost 90% of their games with Casemiro on the pitch,without him the figure drops to almost 61%. Casemiro , the engine has played an astounding 3546 mins for Real this season with an impressive passing percentage of 90%. What helps Zidane more is the fact that Casemiro seems to be allergic to cards.
The so-called "dirty player" has never been red carded ever in Real Madrid colors. While the stars get the plaudits, Madrid have finally found their heir to Makelele. Back in 2003 Makelele was sold to Chelsea and Zidane was not really impressed with Perez's decision.“We will not miss Makelele,” Perez said.
“His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn’t a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres". Look what has happened after a long 15 years; Real Madrid are now forced to depend on a 26-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder with exactly the same same traits that Perez seemed to have disliked.
Casemiro surely has played some dirty football, he cannot be blamed for that as it was the role given to him by his manager. While Ronaldo continues to grab the headlines Casemiro has been the glue that held the whole operation together. Casemiro certainly has been the grit amongst all the glamour.
What Next?
With Zidane walking away from Madrid, Casemiro would be really hoping for a manager with a similar philosophy to walk in. It is true that Casemiro's abilities with the ball are limited, but he was an indispensable part of Zidane's team.With the defensive midfielder Tite in charge of Brazil, Casemiro is expected to start all the matches in Russia.
With the creative duo of Willian and Coutinho playing just in front of him in midfield , he would be more than happy to sit back and do the dirty work. Casemiro may not be as handsome as Ronaldo or Toni kroos to attract many football fans, but he certainly was an integral part of Real Madrid's sucesss and Zidane's tactics.