Ian Wright claims Liverpool ‘definitely targeted’ Casemiro in victory over Manchester United

Ian Wright says Liverpool ‘definitely targeted’ Casemiro with their ‘magnificent’ press as they ran out 3-0 victors over Manchester United at the weekend.

Arne Slot’s 100 per cent record in the Premier League never looked under serious threat as the Merseyside giants swept their arch-rivals aside with a statement performance at Old Trafford.

A rampant Luis Diaz had two goals to his name before the half-time break, with Casemiro largely at fault for both strikes after being stripped of possession far too easily.

The Brazilian was hauled off for 20-year-old Toby Collyer in the 46th minute but the afternoon soon went from bad to worse for United as Mohamed Salah put the visitors out of sight with a third.

Footage subsequently emerged which appeared to show Casemiro departing the Theatre of Dreams while the match was still ongoing, though Erik ten Hag insisted this was not the case in his post-match press conference.

It remains to be seen if Casemiro will hold onto his place in Ten Hag’s starting XI when the Red Devils travel to newly promoted Southampton after the international break on September 14.

Reflecting on the match of the Wrighty’s House podcast, Ian Wright had sympathy for an out-of-sorts Casemiro and suggested Slot’s well-organised Liverpool side had set out to target the midfielder before the match.

‘Liverpool were very controlled,’ the legendary ex-Arsenal and England striker said.

‘[Ryan] Gravenberch has got to get a lot of credit for that with the way he played and the defence looks very solid.

‘Whether Mohamed Salah is going to leave or not at the end of the season, it was very honest because obviously Liverpool haven’t approached him. We all know that he’s going to have a queue of people.

‘Going back to Arne Slot, he’s not trying to act cool. That’s how he is, he knows he’s got an incredible bunch of players.’

Wright added: ‘We know Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Mo and Virgil [Van Dijk] are coming to their last years. At the moment, with the way they’re playing, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to bother them too much, that’s for the people upstairs.

‘At the same time, the way they’re playing, Manchester United and Liverpool, how intense that can be, how basketball-y it can be and how basketball-y we’ve seen it in those games where Man United have come out on top, they looked nowhere near that happening.

‘The press from Liverpool was magnificent and you have to feel for Casemiro because as good as is and as good as he was as a player, Liverpool were just too good.

‘I think he was someone that was targeted, definitely targeted, but it’s that mid-press and that high-press. That was brilliant from them.’

Wright has been impressed by Slot’s start with Liverpool and believes the Dutchman has brought a ‘calmness’ in the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s departure.

‘I don’t know if he’s playing it down and playing it cool for now because he’s just got there, Jurgen has gone and they’re chalk and cheese in respects of emotions,’ Wright continued.

‘He’s come in and his interviews are fantastic. We’re just getting to know him so he’s been very cool.

‘I don’t think he’s acting, I think that’s just how he is because he looks very concentrated when he’s speaking.

‘Someone asked him about his tactics and how Manchester United were going to play and he started telling us about how they play, press, what they try to do, but you could see it was going through his mind.

‘He seems very studious in exactly what he’s talking about, very concise and clear with what he’s talking about, and he’s brought a calmness to the Liverpool side.

‘What we’ve seen against Manchester United in the past, with Jurgen Klopp’s teams, is a basketball, transitional, kind of chaotic game.’

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