[The Corinthian]

In games we dominate the ball and overall play, he’s an excellent weapon. Against teams that are are cutting and dangerous as City his carelessness and wastefulness on the ball will always lead to goals conceded.

 

[Wilt]

If he made as much effort playing as he does moaning he’d be half decent.

Get rid.

 

[Rozay]

In games we dominate the ball and overall play, he’s an excellent weapon. Against teams that are are cutting and dangerous as City his carelessness and wastefulness on the ball will always lead to goals conceded.

Those games are few and far between, and he’s part of why that’s the case. It’s not just City, we routinely struggle to keep the ball against far worse teams than them. In recent years, our games are end to end against just about anyone.

 

[reddevilz007]

And yet people put Bruno in same bracket as De Bruyne

 

[saik]

And yet people put Bruno in same bracket as De Bruyne

This is a very ancient thing. I don't see anyone comparing them since the start of last season I believe. Those comparisons were always ridiculous and Bruno has done nothing since his initial 1 year burst of form to justify those comparisons. You may not always get the goals/assists(which is why he was getting compared in the first place) but Bruno's overall game has always been way behind De Bruyne's.

Is there any other club that would be willing to buy him? Would gladly sell him off. He will never be a decent fit for a team wanting to play possession based football with all his wayward passing half the time and I hate for us to be underdog counterattacking team in every big game to accommodate the likes of Bruno and Rashford.

 

[reddevilz007]

This is a very ancient thing. I don't see anyone comparing them since the start of last season I believe. Those comparisons were always ridiculous and Bruno has done nothing since his initial 1 year burst of form to justify those comparisons. You may not always get the goals/assists(which is why he was getting compared in the first place) but Bruno's overall game has always been way behind De Bruyne's.

Is there any other club that would be willing to buy him? Would gladly sell him off. He will never be a decent fit for a team wanting to play possession based football with all his wayward passing half the time and I hate for us to be underdog counterattacking team in every big game to accommodate the likes of Bruno and Rashford.

I’d like to see VDB given a go with Casemiro and Eriksen behind. With a healthy Martial up top.

Or Fred and Casemiro in a double pivot with Eriksen as number 10.

And hopefully get a striker in January, which will never happen.

 

[bosnian_red]

He's always been awful in big games unfortunately. Goes into hoofing mode, no composure, and he's not that good under pressure so idk with him. I love him as a player but I don't think he'll ever suit these big games.

 

[Adnan]

What I think we need is someone who is adept at playing the #6 and #8 role next to a positionally disciplined midfielder. Bruno doesn't have the variety in his passing to drop deeper and become a effective weapon for us, and hence it becomes more difficult for us to get passing sequences going against teams who are adept at controlling possession.

I think ten Hag will have to either look to develop one of the youngsters as the creative midfielder or look to sign someone like a Caqueret (Lyon) or a Orkun Kokcu (Feyenoord). And both are different profile of players to Bruno which I think we need right now, and it would make our midfield more balanced.

 

[dan1509]

He's always been awful in big games unfortunately. Goes into hoofing mode, no composure, and he's not that good under pressure so idk with him. I love him as a player but I don't think he'll ever suit these big games.

Imo he's awful in every game.

He has revolutionized the midfield position and created a new position.....the false midfielder. Constantly looking to give hero balls that are almost always misplaced. Always for some reason pressing the cbs rather than helping his team win the midfield battle. Its like this guy wants to do everyone else's job except his own.

 

[Zlatan Ibrahomovic]

Like a shadow all game. While players like Eriksen four sure played as bad as him, I'm going to single him out because it's like this every game he plays. Not only does the game completely bypass him, when he has gets an opportunity to create with the ball the quality is too low and the decision making is even worse. Also took a pathetic yellow for screaming at the ref like a spoiled little kid when we were four goals down after having torn and not kicked down a city player, which would have been the proper captain-thing to do.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

He really needs to be benched out of the team, like we did with Maguire. Eriksen should take the 10 spot he will provide so much more there.

 

[Trezeguet17]

Spends most of the match talking to the ref.
Wouldn‘t be surprised if there is footage of him moaning at the ref after we scored

 

[Rozay]

@romufc bizzarely after a half decent game your first instinct was to look for me and ask why I was not here showering praise. Where are your own post-match comments today please? Given you are of course the true symbol of objectivity.

You are by no means alone on the absentees list who will of course return after the next penalty or assist to question those who took the opportunity to comment in this thread (Bruno haters) while they were forced to take their leave.

 

[Gordon Godot]

Imo he's awful in every game.

He has revolutionized the midfield position and created a new position.....the false midfielder. Constantly looking to give hero balls that are almost always misplaced. Always for some reason pressing the cbs rather than helping his team win the midfield battle. Its like this guy wants to do everyone else's job except his own.

I top team might be able to carry him and indulge him. We are not that. At the moment he should not be starting.

 

[Bobski]

Ultimately I think Ten Hag will want to move on from him, maybe next Summer, bring in someone less erratic, and with more ability to play in tight spaces, turn with the ball.

 

[MUFC OK]

Getting worried that he will never return to the imperious form he showed in his first season. Quite baffling but just doesnt look after the ball well enough.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Needs dropping, but just for big matches where we sit back.

Don't see the point of playing Fred-Casemiro-Eriksen against Everton, not enough threat and Eriksen is too easy to just put 1-2 players on and then we're out of a creator.

 

[romufc]

@romufc bizzarely after a half decent game your first instinct was to look for me and ask why I was not here showering praise. Where are your own post-match comments today please? Given you are of course the true symbol of objectivity.

You are by no means alone on the absentees list who will of course return after the next penalty or assist to question those who took the opportunity to comment in this thread (Bruno haters) while they were forced to take their leave.

Unfortunately, I haven't been on here much after the game.

It was an absolute shocking performance however; if you would like to say Bruno was the reason why we lost and the worst player on the pitch then so be it.

I think as a team we were rubbish, Ten Hag got it wrong.

I rate Bruno and if he is meant to be this "leader" that he comes across as, games like yesterday are where he needs to show some bottle and take control of it, instead he was guilty of losing the ball over and over again.

Our players, Bruno included need to learn that keeping the ball sometimes is more than just going for a goal, instead of putting the ball in behind every given opportunity, keep the ball so we dont have to run so much.

Poor from him in every sense, leadership, control, maturity the lot.

 

[Rozay]

Unfortunately, I haven't been on here much after the game.

It was an absolute shocking performance however; if you would like to say Bruno was the reason why we lost and the worst player on the pitch then so be it.

I think as a team we were rubbish, Ten Hag got it wrong.

I rate Bruno and if he is meant to be this "leader" that he comes across as, games like yesterday are where he needs to show some bottle and take control of it, instead he was guilty of losing the ball over and over again.

Our players, Bruno included need to learn that keeping the ball sometimes is more than just going for a goal, instead of putting the ball in behind every given opportunity, keep the ball so we dont have to run so much.

Poor from him in every sense, leadership, control, maturity the lot.

There is no suggestion at all from me that Bruno is why we lost or the worst player on the pitch.

Other than that, I agree with everything else you said. I just perhaps think it was closer to an expected performance than you probably do. The issues you mentioned with the game are on display most games, give or take a goal or an assist.

 

[Idxomer]

Ultimately I think Ten Hag will want to move on from him, maybe next Summer, bring in someone less erratic, and with more ability to play in tight spaces, turn with the ball.

Doubt it'll happen but I would look for Maddison who is a player we wanted before Bruno arrived. He has also outperformed him over the last year in a worse team than United. His contract is up in 2024 so shouldn't cost much.

 

[romufc]

There is no suggestion at all from me that Bruno is why we lost or the worst player on the pitch.

Other than that, I agree with everything else you said. I just perhaps think it was closer to an expected performance than you probably do. The issues you mentioned with the game are on display most games, give or take a goal or an assist.

I am not deluded that I think Bruno has no faults.

What I cannot understand is how a professional football team can be so nervous on the pitch? Every single player on the pitch acted like a coward. City steam rolled through us, we also cannot act as if it hasn't been coming.

This is the same performance as we have been putting in all season, we got lucky with results.

Our pressing is non existent, so we sit in a mid block? if I can call it that, then our midfield cannot get tight enough. Look at our intensity, KDB had the ball on the right channel near touch line and they created a chance, then there was one goal on the left where VAR checked it went off, how are we letting players out such positions? Its criminal.

 

[El Jefe]

He really is the Lukaku of midfielders. I don't think he was one of the worst players yesterday but you can almost guarantee he will have a shocker in a big game.

At this point it's obviously clear he's not good enough to compete with the best teams. His close control, ability to shield the ball and decision making are well below the required level of a No.10 at a big club.

As inconsistent as our players are, Martial and Rashford have had countless big game performances over the years, Sancho has had a few himself. Ever since football returned after the covid break, Bruno probably has maybe 3 good games out of 30 and one of those was against a Liverpool team with no CBs.

 

[Lay]

We won’t win the midfield with him in the side. He doesn’t take care with the ball enough

 

[Rozay]

I am not deluded that I think Bruno has no faults.

What I cannot understand is how a professional football team can be so nervous on the pitch? Every single player on the pitch acted like a coward. City steam rolled through us, we also cannot act as if it hasn't been coming.

This is the same performance as we have been putting in all season, we got lucky with results.

Our pressing is non existent, so we sit in a mid block? if I can call it that, then our midfield cannot get tight enough. Look at our intensity, KDB had the ball on the right channel near touch line and they created a chance, then there was one goal on the left where VAR checked it went off, how are we letting players out such positions? Its criminal.

I agree with this too, and I think the manager has a lot of culpability for yesterday’s setup. We set up too openly.

My main annoyance with that is that we are not even some sort of great attacking side. We’ve barely made a goalkeeper make a save all season. So it’s not as if Ten Hag simply said ‘forget focusing on containing, I will play to MY strengths’. I’d have understood that. A team like Arsenal can do that, for example. If Arsenal go and lose 4-3 at the Etihad in an end to end game, then fair enough if Arteta wants to say he decided to stick to his guns. Yesterday I have no idea what the plan was. We have zero attacking ability and half of our goals have come on the counter all season. Taking the game to City sounds great but we are not ready for that. We can barely take the game to Sherriff.

 

[romufc]

I agree with this too, and I think the manager has a lot of culpability for yesterday’s setup. We set up too openly.

My main annoyance with that is that we are not even some sort of great attacking side. We’ve barely made a goalkeeper make a save all season. So it’s not as if Ten Hag simply said ‘forget focusing on containing, I will play to MY strengths’. I’d have understood that. A team like Arsenal can do that, for example. If Arsenal go and lose 4-3 at the Etihad in an end to end game, then fair enough if Arteta wants to say he decided to stick to his guns. Yesterday I have no idea what the plan was. We have zero attacking ability and half of our goals have come on the counter all season. Taking the game to City sounds great but we are not ready for that. We can barely take the game to Sherriff.

Yep, it is a big concerning. The worrying thing for me was yesterday looked like the last few months of the Ralf reign where he just put a team out and we playing without any conviction.

Lets be honest, City could have scored 10 with ease.

Also, fans need to be consistent too, if Maguire played that he gets criticised.

Where was our captain? our leader? He got booked for petulance, where was the defensive organisation from our defence?

Where was the help from our forward players to come back and defend?

 

[Blood Mage]

Quite comfortably the most frustrating footballer ever to wear our shirt.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Yep, it is a big concerning. The worrying thing for me was yesterday looked like the last few months of the Ralf reign where he just put a team out and we playing without any conviction.

Lets be honest, City could have scored 10 with ease.

Also, fans need to be consistent too, if Maguire played that he gets criticised.

Where was our captain? our leader? He got booked for petulance, where was the defensive organisation from our defence?

Where was the help from our forward players to come back and defend?

If that was Ole managing us in the 1st half, I think the cafe might have rioted as bad as ever.

I'm a fan of ETH, but that opening 45 was maybe the worst we ever looked vs City.

Back on Bruno, I think he's got too many inherent flaws that just can't be fixed with coaching.

He's very poor when getting pressed. His passing security is absolutely awful in big games. He's not a great ball carrier. He's not got quick enough feet to be evasive in tight spaces.

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

I know most people consider this blasphemy but for any team with aspirations to compete for titles, he's a poor footballer. He just lacks most qualities you could find in great playmakers.

Ederson is a better footballer than he is.

No. Only fanboys..

When I see him I remember that pass to Zaha in a game we had to win to play EL. Thank God Brighton won WHU, otherwise, we'd be in Conference.
Brainless, reckless, careless, whiney, arogant, cocky, angry little bitch who talks wonderful talk in interviews, all passion, all love, yada, yada, reminds me of Herrera. Bleads red, blah, love United, blah, then plays and does nothing on the pitch.

 

[DWelbz19]

Ultimately I think Ten Hag will want to move on from him, maybe next Summer, bring in someone less erratic, and with more ability to play in tight spaces, turn with the ball.

Doubt it'll happen but I would look for Maddison who is a player we wanted before Bruno arrived. He has also outperformed him over the last year in a worse team than United. His contract is up in 2024 so shouldn't cost much.

I think Maddison is a little bit more rounded and almost seems underrated these days, but he's also a no.10 at heart.

I think our next big step to being able to progress as a side is being able to have a proper midfield battle with the top teams. I say 'battle' in terms of controlling possession/forcing their team deeper and not always playing on the counter like we do. And I think the main way we do that is by selling/phasing Fernandes and moving to a midfield 3. A proper central midfielder who can play with the ball in the middle third without shitting his pants and/or instantly trying to lump a ball forward on the break.

Just realised my post is basically just agreeing with @Bobski

 

[Oldyella]

I top team might be able to carry him and indulge him. We are not that. At the moment he should not be starting.

Would a top team accommodate someone who loses the ball so regularly? Would the remain a top team if they did?

 

[Fabio Rochemback]

Needs dropping, but just for big matches where we sit back.

Don't see the point of playing Fred-Casemiro-Eriksen against Everton, not enough threat and Eriksen is too easy to just put 1-2 players on and then we're out of a creator.

That makes sense and all but he's been so badly out of form for so long that I think he needs dropping regardless of tactics. I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll bounce back after a spell on the sidelines.

 

[ROFLUTION]

That makes sense and all but he's been so badly out of form for so long that I think he needs dropping regardless of tactics. I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll bounce back after a spell on the sidelines.

Assisted against Arsenal, won us the goal against Southampton. That's the last 3 games before City. Was very involved recently for Portugal. I agree it's bad with him, but who cares if we need him and the alternative can't provide the same creativity?

Don't see the point in sending a signal and shooting ourselves in the foot. The games need to be won, that's the prime goal - Sending a message for Bruno isn't. I think he knows it all too, and I'm not even sure dropping him will make his decisions better, his form better, etc. He bleeds football and thrives when backed (see Solskjær). Not sure it's the other way around. I think he could just as well be even more frustrated at himself without utilizing it.

 

[NinjaZombie]

Beginning to think we need to move on from him to progress. In the meantime, he should be playing either side of the striker because having him in the midfield three is effectively having us play with only 2 in the middle.

 

[Rozay]

Beginning to think we need to move on from him to progress. In the meantime, he should be playing either side of the striker because having him in the midfield three is effectively having us play with only 2 in the middle.

Of course we do. You can't have a Lukaku or even a Haaland in your midfield 3, whose contribution is based on output. You can just about get away with that for a centre forward, and even then, not always. It takes one kick of the ball to score a goal or create one. Any player can score a goal or give a pass but every player has to first come with a set of fundamentals. Especially midfielders. You cannot be a midfielder who only brings cherries to a cake. Too much of a football match is spent not in the action of scoring or creating a goal. First and foremost - what do you do? How do you contribute to the function of this football team? Once we establish that - we can then differentiate between even top footballers by productivity, but as a midfielder, you cannot skip that part and go straight to the 'I score goals' part as your contribution.

When building a team, you have to first think what you want that team to look like and how it should play. Then you add players to that, and the hope is that if you can get your team playing how you want, it will also create and score goals. And if it isn't, then you look to improve pieces within that team that can give greater productivity. In signing Bruno, Ole tried to bypass any team building foundations and just get a player to put the ball in the net. Which is a recipe for top 6 or 4 at best, but not to be the best team over 38 games. And even then, it only makes sense if we're talking about a centre forward. Bruno is just too poor (or average, to be kinder) at too many things which cannot be ignored if you still want to maintain that you are any sort of 'midfielder'. He has no outstanding qualities of a midfielder apart from an ability to sometimes play an outrageous pass. No turn, no acceleration, no strength, no composure, no dribble.

This 'he's always poor in the big games' is not down to lack of mentality or anything. It's solely down to lack of ability. These games are simply 'too hard' - all the individuals he comes up against are too strong, too quick and the units are too well set. That is where the elite find ways to still impose themselves on games - but against such opposition, it's a step too far for him to have any real foothold. Of course, if he plays 50 big games, he will still have moments, there will be the odd goal or assist - but there will NEVER be a 'they just couldn't live with Bruno Fernandes today' the way we could say against the likes of Silva, De Bruyne, Modric, Verratti, Scholes and basically any top level midfielder.

In all my years watching football I don't think, off the top of my head, that I've seen another midfielder who needs to have affected the scoreline to be considered to have had a good game. Yet for too long I came here after games to read 'wasn't great, but still got an assist'. Bruno seemed to just want to come off the pitch having 'got his goal' or got his assist for the game. That is for strikers. He needs to first concern himself with whether or not he played well, helped the team play well etc. Said for years but I'd happily swap his '28G/25A' for 10/10 a season if it came with an actual midfielder who is class at the fundamentals of football, and I suspect we'd be a far better team for it too.

 

[Marwood]

I had sympathy with him yesterday because it felt like the only way to get a chance was some incredible Hollywood pass. So I didn't mind him trying.

Problem is he plays like that against everyone.

The De Bruyne assist to Haaland was a brilliant pass but it was also clearly a pass that was on and that should be played. 70% of the time he makes that pass.

That's where the penny has to drop with Bruno. I'd back him to make passes that no other PL player can, that includes de Bruyne.

But his pass selection has to improve. I think he's going for passes knowing there's very little chance of it coming off and a manager needs to stamp it out of him.

Then there's the overall problem of playing with a No.10 when nobody else does.

Either get two monster CM's behind him or play him off the left and have a traditional three man midfield.

The latter my preference.

 

[Fabio Rochemback]

Assisted against Arsenal, won us the goal against Southampton. That's the last 3 games before City. Was very involved recently for Portugal. I agree it's bad with him, but who cares if we need him and the alternative can't provide the same creativity?

Don't see the point in sending a signal and shooting ourselves in the foot. The games need to be won, that's the prime goal - Sending a message for Bruno isn't. I think he knows it all too, and I'm not even sure dropping him will make his decisions better, his form better, etc. He bleeds football and thrives when backed (see Solskjær). Not sure it's the other way around. I think he could just as well be even more frustrated at himself without utilizing it.

True, it's more of a possible bonus. We still have problems in terms of getting overrun in midfield, even by relatively poor teams. If we generally controlled games in midfield, then I'd agree with you that we may as well keep Bruno in, but we don't. Bringing in Casemiro (and/or Fred I guess) and moving Eriksen forward is less creative but should give us a lot more control, and Bruno's creative output the last year doesn't justify his place.

Maybe we could even try Sancho as a #10 if Martial is back, I dunno. I'd prefer that to Bruno starting again.

 

[Rozay]

I had sympathy with him yesterday because it felt like the only way to get a chance was some incredible Hollywood pass. So I didn't mind him trying.

Problem is he plays like that against everyone.

The De Bruyne assist to Haaland was a brilliant pass but it was also clearly a pass that was on and that should be played. 70% of the time he makes that pass.

That's where the penny has to drop with Bruno. I'd back him to make passes that no other PL player can, that includes de Bruyne.

But his pass selection has to improve. I think he's going for passes knowing there's very little chance of it coming off and a manager needs to stamp it out of him.

Then there's the overall problem of playing with a No.10 when nobody else does.

Either get two monster CM's behind him or play him off the left and have a traditional three man midfield.

The latter my preference.

Until Martial, Shaw and Fred came on and we fashioned some openings with some pass and move like a top team.

And the reason he is going for these passes is, IMO, because you wouldn't like what you will see if he doesn't. A Bruno who doesn't constantly seek hollywood passes and instead tries to take it and play shorter will be exposed because he's miles off the players able to do that at the top level. As a result, he almost bypasses being an actual midfielder in the main.

 

[harms]

And yet people put Bruno in same bracket as De Bruyne

Even when Bruno just came in most were in agreement that De Bruyne is a better player even though Bruno arguably had a better half a season (with De Bruyne struggling a bit with his fitness and form). I doubt that there's even one member here who still puts them in the same tier today.

 

[Idxomer]

I think Maddison is a little bit more rounded and almost seems underrated these days, but he's also a no.10 at heart.

I think our next big step to being able to progress as a side is being able to have a proper midfield battle with the top teams. I say 'battle' in terms of controlling possession/forcing their team deeper and not always playing on the counter like we do. And I think the main way we do that is by selling/phasing Fernandes and moving to a midfield 3. A proper central midfielder who can play with the ball in the middle third without shitting his pants and/or instantly trying to lump a ball forward on the break.

Just realised my post is basically just agreeing with @Bobski

Yeah, I agree with you in preferring to go with a midfield 3 which should've already happened 3 years ago before going all in on Bruno.

 

[Fabio Rochemback]

In games we dominate the ball and overall play, he’s an excellent weapon. Against teams that are are cutting and dangerous as City his carelessness and wastefulness on the ball will always lead to goals conceded.

Yeah, but we almost never do that unfortunately!