8/10 duels, 4/5 tackles, 6 recoveries: 87-touch Man Utd star dazzles on international duty, may not start vs Liverpool

Brazil suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat to Japan in today’s international friendly.

The Selecao were favourites to beat the Asian giants and raced into a comfortable 2-0 lead at the break.

They appeared on course for a victory before their new-look defence capitulated in the second half.

An error from centre-back Fabricio Bruno contributed to Takumi Minamino’s 52nd-minute goal.

Shortly after the hour mark, Keito Nakamura scored from a shot, which was deflected off Bruno.

Goalkeeper Hugo Souza, who made his debut, failed to save a straightforward header from Ayase Ueda.

Despite the 3-2 defeat, there were plenty of stand-out performers, including Manchester United star Casemiro.

The 33-year-old had a solid outing in the centre of the park with the captain’s armband.

Casemiro had 87 touches in the game and completed 89 percent of his passes.

He was brilliant defensively, winning eight of 10 duels and recovering six balls. He also won four out of five tackles.

It was a solid midfield display from the United ace, but Brazil’s defence unfortunately capitulated under pressure.

From United’s point of view, they should be pleased with Casemiro putting in two good performances for Brazil this month.

Despite this, manager Ruben Amorim may contemplate a change and could bench Casemiro for Manuel Ugarte at Anfield.

Casemiro has always been effective in his defensive work, but his reduced mobility could be a weakness against Liverpool’s high press.

Amorim may want a defensive midfielder with better mobility and a higher work rate, which could pave the way for Ugarte to start.

Casemiro was benched for Ugarte against Manchester City last month. We could see something similar happen in Sunday’s derby.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .