One of the truest things i have read in here.
People hype up a guy to something he’s not and then wonder what’s happened to him when their eyes gets back to normal.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 58
- Goals
- 28
- Assists
- 17
- Yellow cards
- 7
- Status
People hype up a guy to something he’s not and then wonder what’s happened to him when their eyes gets back to normal.
Why point to a single game when we’ve got the evidence of nearly a whole half season? Or did I dream the 2019/20 PL season where signing Bruno Fernandes improved MUFC massively? God I hope I did. Because the whole viral pandemic sub-plot was such a downer.
I'm not pointing to a single game. More than happy to go over the entire period that Bruno has been here. Did Man Utd improve? For a much shorter period of time than most are willing to admit. Post lockdown, the number of games that were won by a penalty or had to be dragged to the wire even against average opposition like Norwich was worthy of note. It showed that the team as a whole was genuinely not improving. Note that the free flowing counter attacking football was already a feature of the pre-Bruno Man utd, such as in the opener against Chelsea. In the absence of Pogba, there was that gap creatively which Bruno filled but never truly elevated the team beyond what it was when Pogba was in the side.
The exact same problem remains, which is that Utd struggle to break down a defensively disciplined side of any level of ability, and on nay day when the defense decides not to turn up and VAr does not provide the usual stream of penalties, we are liable to have another day like yesterday.
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I feel like he needs to be a bit closer to the centre midfielders behind him, Martial needs to drop into that CF role and our wide forwards need to tuck in a bit narrower. It felt like there was far too much distance between each attacking player yesterday.
The guy just played for portugal couple of weeks back and was absolutely sublime. What happened against palace?
Let’s just say, he is not any better than Pogba.
Sure. Let’s benchmark our players negatively with each other.
It could be positive things though, depends how you see it.
Then the point would've been that he's as good as Pogba. Don't disagree with your overall point though. Bruno has been missing that critical through ball in the past 6-7 games. Last season it was down to fatigue but he's got to show his class properly now. We expect it from him and he hasn't been delivering past few games.
I’d give him benefit of doubt, this is only his 1st or 2nd game? Maybe he is not match fit. Last season he overplay in the end and didn’t get any rest, he was tired.
So do I. But his aura of invincibility is declining a bit. A couple of magical performances are needed to restore the order.
His level wained a little towards the end of last year, the last half a dozen games he played were underwhelming at best. He is a very good player and I am happy we have him but folks were making him out to be our saviour which I found a little silly.
I do feel like our new signings seem to have an initial purple patch before we manage to bring them down to our level. Bruno, Di Maria, James, Harry and Pogba seemed to start well and then fade away quickly for example.
I do feel like our new signings seem to have an initial purple patch before we manage to bring them down to our level. Bruno, Di Maria, James, Harry and Pogba seemed to start well and then fade away quickly for example.
If you think Moutinho is average then I'm not surprised you don't rate Bruno. Wrong on both accounts.
I said slightly above average sir. Besides, average in this context is a subjective term so I cannot be wrong. Even at that, what would make your opinion more correct than mine?
You can even add Sanchez too
He was promising in his first gameHe was not great towards the end of last season either. He is what he is, a ~50m+ attacking midfielder. He's better than most and undoubtedly improves us, but he is not going to be the next Cantona that many of us initially hoped he would be.
What i really want to know is why so many of our signings look like world beaters when they arrive and play with confidence, but before long look like they'd rather be anywhere but on a football pitch. I want to see Bruno trying things again and taking those pot shots from range. They at least show he's up for it.
Yeah, he finished the season in poor form. Which everyone put down to him being knackered. A newborn baby at home won’t help in this regard. He won’t be the first Manchester United player whose form dipped in the first few weeks/months after becoming a dad, that’s for sure.
I don't pretend to be a great expert on players but having watched Moutinho a lot and I do mean a lot could make my opinion more correct than yours. One of the best players to come out of Portugal in the last 15 years so when you say a little above average for me that's like saying Roy Keane was just a good player.
Moutinho is a good player, but not a special one, that's what I meant. If anything comparing Bruno to him was meant to show that I do rate Bruno but not quite as highly as most do.
Personally, I don't think it's a coincidence that his level has dropped a bit when all of our forwards are looking rather awful as well.
Hopefully it's just a case of everyone getting up to speed. I really don't think we're going to see much quality until next month.
Hopefully it's just a case of everyone getting up to speed. I really don't think we're going to see much quality until next month.
I believe his aura is also now found out by the opposition managers who don't allow him to much time on the ball. It also does not augur well that with Pogba around, their final positions on the pitch are not that well defined. Moreover, width has also been lacking with Rashford patchy since the restart and Greenwood really not getting the service on the right side
Sadly very true. I do wonder how much of this is down to our tactics versus his ability however because the longer he has been here the less influential/less consistent he has been - everything seems rushed. I think this goes for most players under Ole when I think about it - AWB, Maguire and James all started pretty well and ended the season with many fans wanting another RB, another CB and wanting James nowhere near the first team. Is that coincidence or are we not getting the best out of signings.
We'll agree to disagree on Moutinho but fair enough. Leaving aside what someone thinks of a player, if someone comes in and raises us as a team then that player suddenly becomes valuable. I have absolutely no doubts that if we didn't sign Bruno in January we'd now be lucky to be playing in the EL so just for that alone his transfer was worth the gamble so I'm much more content that we signed Bruno than not.
Luton Town 0:3 Man Utd
Looked much sharper today and like his Portugal form.
Excellent outing, registered an assist to Greenwood and in general played very well for the 10 minutes he had.
Looked sharp and will always be at his best when we are in counter attack mode.
Nice cameo and should be fully sharp for Brighton.
Pogba lost the ball in dangerous areas so many times against Palace it is not even funny. Bruno was way better even though not effective relatively.
Today his quality showed when he came on.
So, same as pogba then?
Yeah, that's fair enough, both have a tendency to try and force it when we play a team that parks the bus.
It's their job. Hell am pissed at the way Pogba played against palace. Losing the ball countlessly due to poor control and barely making any forward drives.
I agree with you but not fully. I think fans have overhyped him beyond his actual level. But i also believe his actual level is not far off the hype. He is still 25/26 playing in an inconsistent team. His inconsistencies will show over a few games and for me thats ok. But we know what he is capable of and he had the character to get himself out of poor form. Which is why VdBs purchase is a good move IMO.
Not at all.
Their job is to create but not attempt passes that are simply not on, conceding possession. To often they force it when it's not on and it just sees the ball coming straight back at us.
Yeah, we could use more Matas in those positions.
Maybe not the next Cantona, but the best signing we've had in a long time, who played a vital role in getting us into the Champions League. He hasn't been great recently but I don't buy for a second that he hasn't looked up for it or that he looks like he'd rather be elsewhere. The guy is hard work personified.
Expecting a good game from the wee man today, he must be frustrated by the lack of new faces in the team but he'll come good.
People here talking about Bruno's level and comparing him to Moutinho ffs,no disrespect but Bruno is a level above, he isn't united Messiah but he is definitely one of our best players and arguably behind only De bruyne among creative midfielders in the league, just check his non penalty stats in the league I think about 4 goals and 7 assist in 14 games if am not mistaken,that's very impressive without the pens,The only flaw in his game is the way he needlessly give possession away trying to force things,we knew that before signing him and I'll take that over Lingard safe sideways and backward passing
I can only remember 3 non penalty PL goals. One was a free-kick, the other was the deflected strike bs Brighton and that brilliant counter- attack volley in the same game.
But your general point is fair anyway. He’s far better than any AM we have, although I do think his true level is yet to be established, the sample is still small, and within that sample, the performances have been very much mixed.
And I’m not sure any pass that isn’t backwards is an excuse to concede possession. I would imagine, having watched the game vs West Brom last week, that James had a very good pass completion, despite passing forward regularly. Nobody said it has to be easy to pass forward well. It isn’t, which is why some players are considered better than others. Bruno needs to do better. It is no use to us to just keep giving marks for the attempt. Attempts don’t help us. If you are not completing a respectable percentage, then it makes no difference what you are trying to do.
I really liked what I saw in midweek, admittedly against Luton Town, but also for Portugal. I think he has another level to go. He reminds me of Rashford where I am confident that they will eventually get to where they need to be simply because they seem to want to so damn much.
Brighton 2:3 Man Utd
His worst game since the arrival. Nothing came off except for the pen.
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