Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after frantic draw with Monchengladbach

Has Casemiro returned to his best?

Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro hasn’t been bad this season, but he hasn’t been up to his usual standard, which is the extremely lofty “world’s best” standard. Casemiro is the best defensive midfielder on this planet, and that’s been the case for the better part of the last four years.

The Brazilian midfielder scored the winning goal and assisted Karim Benzema’s dexterous strike, playing the role of the hero in the 2-2 draw. It was fitting that the player who snapped into the most tackles and, perhaps surprisingly, controlled the attacking play the most late in the match played the key role in both goals.

Casemiro’s headed assist for Benzema’s goal was the highlight of the game, as the hard-working defensive midfielder saved the ball from going out for a goal kick, but also had the presence of mind to direct the ball right into Benz’s path in the six-yard box.

I think after this massive performance at the Borussia-Park, Casemiro has vocally answered any criticisms of his performances this season. He even completed nearly 95 percent of his passes, per WhoScored.com. Passing quality, as in the game against Levante, was the big critique of his play before this match.