He definitely used to score more from open play. 10 and 9 goals and then 6 two seasons in a row now. I don't think that's enough at all for an attacking midfielder. He is part of the attack and should contribute as such. His finishing has been shockingly poor these last seasons, but it is what it is. Every player in our attack needs to improve, not just Bruno Fernandes.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 25
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 11
- Yellow cards
- 4
- Red cards
- 2
So did the whole team. Our goals tally has fallen of a cliff since ETH took over. I’m sure this is partially on the manager but also a decline in the quality of our attacking players. I don’t see any reason to think Bruno’s declining numbers is down to much more than the lack of quality around (and in front of) him. Although he is snatching at chances more than he used to. Probably in part to them coming around less often.
Scott Mctominay and Garnacho had 7 league goals without penalties. Bruno had 6 goals.
What about that?
This act of acting like Bruno is some football royalty is maddening, while Mctominay had more non penalty goals than him. Even In a very dysfunctional Man United midfield, he does not score more than other "less" "poor" midfield players.
What about that? You’ll have to answer your own question. Because I assumed everyone who actually watched United last season was aware that McT had a freak goalscoring season mainly by playing as an emergency second striker off the bench. Or do you know something we don’t?
I don’t think there’s a strong argument we struggled to create versus Fulham, we didn’t play scintillating football and carve them open but we should probably have won 2 or 3 nil.
The midfield is and will always be the issue unless we sort out what Bruno is doing. I think that’s why we are so keen on Ugarte, get someone who isn’t going to control possession and dictate but will be focused on breaking stuff up. I think it’s obvious ineos have no interest in us becoming a very controlled and risk adverse possession team from transfers so far, they want us to play high press high risk football. Bruno can fit into that if he gets enough energy around him, like Mount, who can press like dogs and then are decent enough technically.
I think the easy explanation is Bruno just isn't generally as lethal of a finisher as he might have been that first year or two with us. Which is fine, you rarely see any midfielders that can reach that level of goalscoring prowess.
I also think, as I noted earlier, that it's clear at this point he's at his most effective when given that roaming 10 role. He had a storming end to the season last year when we reverted back to that sort of system instead of the suicidal double pressing 8's that we played for 60-70% of the year. Give him 3 runners in front and allow him to float in between the lines and ocassionally running in beyond the striker and he'll be at his best. But we've gone to this 4-2-4 pressing system that seems to be solid OOP with him and Mount being the furthest forward pressers, and in turn it's sort of seen Bruno marginalized in his impact in possession. The Fulham game was a perfect example, he didn't really create anything but could have scored 2 or 3 because he essentially was receiving the ball in striker positions instead of in between the lines. I personally don't think he's best utilized there majority of the time.
In short let me explain to you.
1. Bruno is 30 year old. Plays very single game.
2. Mctominay is a part time player, plays in between games.
3. Garnacho is a 20 year old boy.
4. Eriksen can not play in Italy because of pace setters, he died on the pitch and came back to life, a free signing from Brentford
Yet.
- In 2023 season Eriksen had same amount of PL Assists as Bruno. A Free transfer, player with heart problems, player who can't play in Italy.
- In 2024 season Mctominay a part time player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Garnacho a 20 year old player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Rashford - one who stinks the place, who had the poorest season of himself had 5 PL goal. Just 1 ( ONE) less than Bruno
With how people rave about Bruno abilities here, you might think he's a Totti specimen.
Imagine if Bruno Fernandes had Francesco Totti abilities and output. The second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals, and is the sixth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 316 goals
Imagine if Bruno had such numbers
Francesco Totti all-time career stats: 843 Games
️ 316 Goals 233 Assists 549 Goal Contributions I know the expectations and standards are down on the floor but let nobody lie to themselves that Bruno is such an elite footballer, this is primarily our main problem.
I agree. Didn't intend to be harsh to him - me seeing him more as a finisher than a creator wasn't an attempt in judging, just by describing. But you are right, on the right he can cause some havoc with his dribbling (which would be something I'd already class as creating... merely challenging opponents, making them make decision).
Don't know, maybe Rashford and Garnacho might work just fine when there would be a striker in the middle who can set them up with interplay or by being a good back-to-goal-player. Maybe Zirkzee could be that. But once Hojlund is back, there is no wonder that everything and everybody looks towards to Bruno to come up with something.
He was sensational in the FA Cup final
In short let me explain to you.
1. Bruno is 30 year old. Plays very single game.
2. Mctominay is a part time player, plays in between games.
3. Garnacho is a 20 year old boy.
4. Eriksen can not play in Italy because of pace setters, he died on the pitch and came back to life, a free signing from Brentford
Yet.
As you can see, Bruno Fernandes is in this level, it's just people try to cope with how poor we are.
- In 2023 season Eriksen had same amount of PL Assists as Bruno. A Free transfer, player with heart problems, player who can't play in Italy.
- In 2024 season Mctominay a part time player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Garnacho a 20 year old player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Rashford - one who stinks the place, who had the poorest season of himself had 5 PL goal. Just 1 ( ONE) less than Bruno
With how people rave about Bruno abilities here, you might think he's a Totti specimen.
Imagine if Bruno Fernandes had Francesco Totti abilities and output. The second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals, and is the sixth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 316 goals
Imagine if Bruno had such numbers
Francesco Totti all-time career stats: 843 Games
I know the expectations and standards are down on the floor but let nobody lie to themselves that Bruno is such an elite footballer, this is primarily our main problem.
In a thread full of diabolical posts this one has had to be right up here. You seem to be trying to use an obscene amount of words to try and argue that scoring the same amount of league goals as Odegaard from open play (and two more than Maddison/De Bruyne) last season is woefully inadequate for a player in Bruno’s position. Which is, let’s be honest, even more of a waste of time for you typing those words than it was for me to read them. The fact you’re doing this after reading a post which made all of this clear to you already genuinely boggles the mind.
I'm truly not trying to be rude, have you ever watched Bruno play football? I'm not being a hypocrite, you might be at OT a lot more than me. I have watched Bruno in person maybe only 10 times but it is as clear as day, he is our most important player. Comparing such stats is absolutely ludicrous.
In short let me explain to you.
1. Bruno is 30 year old. Plays very single game.
2. Mctominay is a part time player, plays in between games.
3. Garnacho is a 20 year old boy.
4. Eriksen can not play in Italy because of pace setters, he died on the pitch and came back to life, a free signing from Brentford
Yet.
As you can see, Bruno Fernandes is in this level, it's just people try to cope with how poor we are.
- In 2023 season Eriksen had same amount of PL Assists as Bruno. A Free transfer, player with heart problems, player who can't play in Italy.
- In 2024 season Mctominay a part time player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Garnacho a 20 year old player had more PL non penalty goals than Bruno.
- In 2024 season, Rashford - one who stinks the place, who had the poorest season of himself had 5 PL goal. Just 1 ( ONE) less than Bruno
With how people rave about Bruno abilities here, you might think he's a Totti specimen.
Imagine if Bruno Fernandes had Francesco Totti abilities and output. The second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals, and is the sixth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 316 goals
Imagine if Bruno had such numbers
Francesco Totti all-time career stats: 843 Games
I know the expectations and standards are down on the floor but let nobody lie to themselves that Bruno is such an elite footballer, this is primarily our main problem.
We are not the same team when he's not playing. To suggest Bruno is on the same level as McTominay (no disrespect to McTominay) with the argument of goal stats is bonkers. Football is not just scoring a goal or making an assist, in order to score a goal or make an assist - players need to make things happen through link up play and organisation of players on the pitch. That is what Bruno does. He makes plays happen and he organises players. It's visibly clear watching him do that.
It's nothing to do with ''expectations and standards are down on the floor'', its to do with reality and you can see that by watching him play.
Would love to see Bruno play a more disciplined and simplified game on a consistent basis, as important as he is to the team I believe he’s providing detrimental contributions the way he rushes fast breaks and constantly miss hits passes and coughs up possession when he’s dead set on making a low percentage play/Hollywood pass happen. A lot of this falls on coaching and ten Hag being unable to iron out the incoherencies in our gameplay, but Bruno as club captain and the guy our play flows through should know to calm his game down a bit.
He's turning 30 in 8 days... I swear in a couple of years we'll be regretting that contract extension
Its also not something that worries me. Sure if Ten Hag keeps this stupid false 9 experiment going, but then it would be on the manager. I want Bruno to create and he does that in spades. We need our actually goal scorers to start scoring. I do think Zirkzee looks promising though.
I'd much rather be labelled as a fanboy for backing Bruno than shitting on a United player after two mediocre performances.
But hey - it was only Fulham and Brighton, right? As you often insisted last season - performances vs mid table clubs pale in comparison to the big matches where Bruno apparently always goes missing. Until he showed you up in the FA Cup final vs (arguably) the best team in Europe and your only retort was to urge everyone not to 'get carried away' as 'it's only one game'. An hour after we won a trophy, you seemed genuinely peeved because it meant Bruno proved you wrong. And yet we're the borderline insufferable ones.
And you are welcome to do it. Just don't think, that makes you a better or more loyal or whatever fan outside of your head.
Any chance you might be mixing me up? I've never been big on that big game train.
He didn't prove anything. For all the happiness it generated, it was just one game. And it hardly was a football festival. Well at least it wasn't to me. But I guess, there might be no middle ground here between us - I mean, if you think in categories of "proving wrong" and "urging everyone". Also not sure why you felt the need to reply to a post in which I, one of the most vocal of his critics, asked others to keep it a little less emotional and with less namecalling.
If you're a critic of Bruno then I'm surprised you're not one to bring up the 'big game' criticism. I thought I remember you saying something along the lines of "if he plays well in the next game then it's only Forest" at some point last season, so I interpreted that as an assertion that he doesn't perform well vs top opposition.
Also, I didn't read the wider context of the posts you were to replying to but obviously I agree that 'no namecalling' is a good rule of thumb. When I clicked on this thread, I saw your post claiming that people who praise Bruno after a good game are 'borderline insufferable', hence I felt the need to reply. As a United fan, I think it's far more tolerable reading praise for a United player than constant criticism after every performance - unless you're some sort of masochist who enjoys the negativity.
Hmm, well maybe I said something along the lines that it might be easier to shine against a side like Forest than it is against a side like Liverpool. But the whole big game player thing isn't something that makes sense to me. Also not my current objective to be honest - I would be happy when it would be somewhat of a regular occurence that we do play well, no matter against whom. Next step would be doing it in big games but I guess thats not where we are. (And yes, I don't consider the cup final or the CC as actually good games, it was smart and the right thing at the right time. But I had the feeling both times, that if Pep really would have cared, then he would have prepared a little bit. Not playing as high of a line yadda yadda yadda. Bit like the season when we got 2nd. Where some where praising Oles City record, when they won the two games that actually mattered very convincingly. But - hot take, don't want to derail the thread.
Makes sense. I think, this thread (and a few other before) doesn't really work like a "vanilla" one would. People are divided, mood is tense, after a bad game of Bruno, one side gloats about how right they were, after a good game, the other group does he same. And too many feel the need to remind others about "real fans" and "real knowledge". Actually, I should avoid this thread. Everything is said - but here we are, getting triggered by the next post...
Man Utd 0:3 Liverpool
Fails to deliver in nearly every big game.
Piss poor. Struggled with basic passing and absolutely ran away from the midfield.
Houdini
Bagged the contract and he hasn’t played well since.
We’ll have to wait a few months for the chance creation stats to accumulate again.
We’ll have to wait a few months for the chance creation stats to accumulate again.
Worst captain of all time. He should be stripped and never wear the armband again
What a poor excuse of a captain for this club. A sign of how far we've fallen
Can't play effectively as part of a system which has him in a midfield 3 and barely functions in a front 3/4 nowadays
The scene at the end of the first half with Van Dijk pretty much laughing at his theatrics said it all
Can't play effectively as part of a system which has him in a midfield 3 and barely functions in a front 3/4 nowadays
The scene at the end of the first half with Van Dijk pretty much laughing at his theatrics said it all
I love him but far too inconsistent.
This is a repetitive issue with us over the years. Rashford has forgotten to be a footballer or put on any effort since he signed a new deal and Bruno got new deal after 2 months of purple patch last season. He never shows up in big games but you will get people coming up here and remind us about that one off FA cup final game forever. Also whatever midfield we want to build regardless of manager wont work because he will always be roaming around vacating big space in the middle and makes it so easy to play through it.
What's the excuse today btw? He was in his preferred position and yet the number of times he misplaced simple passes was shocking. 0 physicality as well
He will deliver us to the promise land, Keane style. Wooooiiiii my comrade United fans, you've be duped for 4 years but still we wait.
Started the season very poorly. Our entire midfield just doesn’t work to be honest. But after a few months of top form, all my long-standing issues with him have again been laid bare so far this season.
He had Zirkzee in on goal and passed to Rashford instead, fecking muppet.
Wasn't he supposed to control the game, the tempo, how we attack, when we step back? If not him then who? I miss Bruno of 2020.
Absolutely rubbish, kudos to the fans exposing his nonchalant performances because if another player in the team does what Bruno is doing you wouldn't hear the last of it.
Consistently gives possession away and against top teams it changes the tide of games.
I'm convinced that Bruno has a muted influence in a team that has a cohesive midfield alongside a decent coach.
It's worth considering that United have never featured a balanced midfield whenever he's in the team.
Call it a coincidence but his lack of positional discipline forces the double pivot midfield and it poses the question is his involvement in the team worth sacrificing a system where you can have a base three across the midfield preventing being overrun in the midfield or teams just out hustling the single holding 6 as we saw time and time again last season with Amrabat, Mainoo and Casemiro.
Consistently gives possession away and against top teams it changes the tide of games.
I'm convinced that Bruno has a muted influence in a team that has a cohesive midfield alongside a decent coach.
It's worth considering that United have never featured a balanced midfield whenever he's in the team.
Call it a coincidence but his lack of positional discipline forces the double pivot midfield and it poses the question is his involvement in the team worth sacrificing a system where you can have a base three across the midfield preventing being overrun in the midfield or teams just out hustling the single holding 6 as we saw time and time again last season with Amrabat, Mainoo and Casemiro.
Garbage performance today from Bruno.
He is the furthest thing from a captain that I’ve seen at a top club. He goes missing in nearly every big game, and his only input is moaning and smashing misplaced long passes and taking stupid shots.
He’d never have survived in a dressing room with Keane, Scholes et al. They’d have killed him. And rightly so.
I’m sick of him.
He’d never have survived in a dressing room with Keane, Scholes et al. They’d have killed him. And rightly so.
I’m sick of him.
Completely dogshit as a footballer. His output was impressive but has fallen massively. Needs to be binned long term. Exactly the kind of player plucky cup teams have and not teams who want to be consistently great.
B2b2b stinkers after the new contract
100% he is a massive issue and his lack of positional discipline causes havoc for us. City get away with playing to 10’s because A) they work hard AND smart but also B) they control the game and don’t constantly give the ball away. If you’re bombing forward or pressing high up and next thing you’ve given the ball away centrally completely unnecessarily, of course you’re gonna be completely on the back foot in defensive transition. He’s a massive liability. Himself and Rashford, along with the manager and sick note Shaw need to leave asap.
His passing and decision making today was appalling. Just awful.
Struggling to think of when he looked great in a 'big' game.
Struggling to think of when he looked great in a 'big' game.
3 out of 10 performance and 3 out of 3 for shit performances this season.