[#07]

Two things about Bruno: First, he is a decent centre midfielder but nothing more. Second, we gain absolutely nothing from moving him away from goal.

To me its like not playing Wayne Rooney in the final third. You take one of your most dangerous attackers and turn him into Tom Cleverley. Yeah he might do some neat, tidy stuff but that's about it.

That first half Bruno played very conservatively and he was alright. Lets be honest though, he didn't do anything you would look at and go: 'Yes, I'd want that in my team if he wasn't our player.' That was not a Camavinga in midfield performance. That was not even a James Milner in midfield performance. It was just average and I cannot believe we gained anything we would not have got from starting a real midfielder e.g. Casemiro.

Bruno should be playing in the final third where he can make chances, especially as nobody else in our team besides Amad seems any good at creating anything for anyone else. If he's not going to one of the attacking midfielders just don't play him. Its really simple.

 

[CarrickNotScholes]

Classic example of a player who thinks he is better than he actually is. Would have been a more consistent player if he was aware of his ridiculous limitations. No athleticism, no composure, no ability to hold the ball under pressure. But he runs around and gives it his all. No amount of stats can make him a better player than an Odegaard or a KDB.

 

[fallengt]

He got bored with real football by half time and reverted back to spamming aimless long passes

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Two things about Bruno: First, he is a decent centre midfielder but nothing more. Second, we gain absolutely nothing from moving him away from goal.

To me its like not playing Wayne Rooney in the final third. You take one of your most dangerous attackers and turn him into Tom Cleverley. Yeah he might do some neat, tidy stuff but that's about it.

That first half Bruno played very conservatively and he was alright. Lets be honest though, he didn't do anything you would look at and go: 'Yes, I'd want that in my team if he wasn't our player.' That was not a Camavinga in midfield performance. That was not even a James Milner in midfield performance. It was just average and I cannot believe we gained anything we would not have got from starting a real midfielder e.g. Casemiro.

Bruno should be playing in the final third where he can make chances, especially as nobody else in our team besides Amad seems any good at creating anything for anyone else. If he's not going to one of the attacking midfielders just don't play him. Its really simple.

Bolded is the key part though: He's not athletic enough or good enough on the ball in tight spaces to play in these spots. Now granted I'd prefer him there over Garnacho right now because at least the few times he's able to get the ball in a good spot he might do something clever or create some magic, but you really need quality dribblers/runners in those positions.

So many seem to think Bruno is just locked in to an inside 10 role for the foreseeable future of the club. I'm not so sure.

 

[Blood Mage]

His legs are going. He was incredibly energetic and dynamic when he first came here which made him the most dangerous and unpredictable CAM around. He's just gotten older and doesn't have the technique to make up for his increasing physical shortcomings.

 

[nazanto]

Two things about Bruno: First, he is a decent centre midfielder but nothing more. Second, we gain absolutely nothing from moving him away from goal.

To me its like not playing Wayne Rooney in the final third. You take one of your most dangerous attackers and turn him into Tom Cleverley. Yeah he might do some neat, tidy stuff but that's about it.

That first half Bruno played very conservatively and he was alright. Lets be honest though, he didn't do anything you would look at and go: 'Yes, I'd want that in my team if he wasn't our player.' That was not a Camavinga in midfield performance. That was not even a James Milner in midfield performance. It was just average and I cannot believe we gained anything we would not have got from starting a real midfielder e.g. Casemiro.

Bruno should be playing in the final third where he can make chances, especially as nobody else in our team besides Amad seems any good at creating anything for anyone else. If he's not going to one of the attacking midfielders just don't play him. Its really simple.

The problem with sticking him in the middle is he’ll lose the ball too often. Sure, he might pull off the odd brilliant pass that creates a chance, but it’s not worth the risk when he’s giving it away in dangerous areas. Against a proper side, they’ll punish us in no time. He’ll play one great ball, and the next minute, he’s chasing after it because he’s lost it again. Such a frustrated player.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Just hate seeing him as a center midfielder. Kills what he’s good at, and I just think he takes too many touches.

Keep him as a CAM/wide forward only.

 

[Irwin99]

Didn't think he was that bad but Ugarte was better. People saying he lost the ball too often but I think 85% passing accuracy isn't exactly terrible.

 

[youngrell]

Typical overreaction in here. Lost his way a little and tried to force things towards the end but nowhere near the car crash this thread is making out.

 

[Licha-Vidic]

Come on, I am certainly not a Bruno fan but thats unfair. Bruno isn't going to change his game and skillset at this point so when stuff like today happens, it is on the manager who choose the wrong combination. And lets not act it is the most exotic thing in the world to attempt to play him there, half the caf is ready to put him in this position even though he isn't a good fit.

Lets hope Amorim learns from that. This player isn't a CM. Full stop. He is a 2010 AM that has fantastic fitness and is able to fill in into CM situationally. And in the right conditions, we'll get away with that. Found a way to do the same with Eriksen as well 2 years ago. But when we want to evolve, we should stop this waste of time asap and bring in better players for the midfield.

Again it's managers wrong combinations.

Ole, Carrick, Ralf, ETH, RvN, Amorim

Bruno has played under all those managers. But somehow it's somebody else problem.


See the patterns,
.
Rashford and Shaw have played under
Mourinho, Ole, Carrick, Ralf, ETH, RvN, Amorim

Add LvG for Rashford. But still the performance is same, the problems we had with them in 2018 is still visible today..


Again I tell you, Bruno is a pseudo midfielder.

Up until we bin him off, nothing drastic will change in how we play. He can't run with the ball, can't half turn, can't dribble, he can't shield the ball THEN add his lose passes.

Recipe for disaster.

Again, expecting anything new from a 30 year old player who has never played in a Champions League QF game in his life, is expecting black magic.

Again, I will say it here, if Amorim doesn't bin Bruno in the next 1 year nothing drastic will change. We will go through the same 2 year cycle.

Leopards do not change their spots.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Didn't think he was that bad but Ugarte was better. People saying he lost the ball too often but I think 85% passing accuracy isn't exactly terrible.

Just ignore the circle jerk from the usual suspects every time he puts in less than an 8 out of 10 performance.

I think he can probably play the role he played today against most teams in the league. But Ugarte needs more physical presence beside him against a big, strong team like Arsenal. And when we beef up midfield Bruno could play as one of the two 10s. I hope Mainoo can develop into that midfielder we need because otherwise we need to invest.

 

[Lyng]

Just ignore the circle jerk from the usual suspects every time he puts in less than an 8 out of 10 performance.

I think he can probably play the role he played today against most teams in the league. But Ugarte needs more physical presence beside him against a big, strong team like Arsenal, when Bruno could play as one of the two 10s. I hope Mainoo can be that player because otherwise we need to invest.

I think Mainoo can and probably would have played of not for the suspension.
I don't think Amorims preference is to move Bruno away from one of the 10s

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I think Mainoo can and probably would have played of not for the suspension.
I don't think Amorims preference is to move Bruno away from one of the 10s

Mainoo and Ugarte definitely seem like the most potential as a pairing. Although Bruno could be a good option against poorer teams, where we need extra creativity and can cope with his lack of physicality.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Didn't think he was that bad but Ugarte was better. People saying he lost the ball too often but I think 85% passing accuracy isn't exactly terrible.

He played a few shit passes (one sticks out that was pretty easy when Amad was in acres in space) but ultimately I thought his passing was sharp. It's just obvious where he's limited when he's getting caught on the ball under pressure and isn't able to drive with it away from anyone..

 

[El Jefe]

He doesn't have a position in this system and that will soon be the elephant in the room Of course he can have good games in the wide 10 or CM position from time to time but there will never be consistency.

Bruno is a central attacking mid and that position doesn't exist in our system. Amorim seems very aware of the players and is a smart guy, I'm sure this season will be Bruno's trial for those roles and if he fails to fit, he'll get someone else in.

 

[Lyng]

Mainoo and Ugarte definitely seem like the most potential as a pairing. Although Bruno could be a good option against poorer teams, where we need extra creativity and can cope with his lack of physicality.

Yup. Arsenal is just not the right team and especially given how they set up tonight. But again it's not like we had many options. Christian wouldn't have fared any better in that role tonight.

 

[Red in STL]

Yup. Arsenal is just not the right team and especially given how they set up tonight. But again it's not like we had many options. Christian wouldn't have fared any better in that role tonight.

We had Casemiro who TBH in a game like this would have been a better choice IMO

 

[lsd]

He doesn't have a position in this system and that will soon be the elephant in the room Of course he can have good games in the wide 10 or CM position from time to time but there will never be consistency.

Bruno is a central attacking mid and that position doesn't exist in our system. Amorim seems very aware of the players and is a smart guy, I'm sure this season will be Bruno's trial for those roles and if he fails to fit, he'll get someone else in.

I think most people knew that and it will be the case soon enough. At the moment Amorim is trying to find him a place in the set up but it's not going to happen. It's not the system for him and sadly for him it's the system we are going to be using

 

[NZT-One]

Didn't think he was that bad but Ugarte was better. People saying he lost the ball too often but I think 85% passing accuracy isn't exactly terrible.

You can lose balls without bad passing.

Again it's managers wrong combinations.

The wrong combination today was a midfield with Bruno in it. That was my point, if you wouldn't be so hellbent to jump onto each opportunity, you would have gotten to this conclusion yourself.

Ole, Carrick, Ralf, ETH, RvN, Amorim

Bruno has played under all those managers. But somehow it's somebody else problem.

Exactly, the manager who picks him for a certain position or role where he isn't really suited to - as you allude to later in your post. Again, you are arguing against stuff I didn't say.

See the patterns,
.
Rashford and Shaw have played under
Mourinho, Ole, Carrick, Ralf, ETH, RvN, Amorim

Add LvG for Rashford. But still the performance is same, the problems we had with them in 2018 is still visible today..

Not sure what that has to do with Bruno so just ignore it.

Again I tell you, Bruno is a pseudo midfielder.

Up until we bin him off, nothing drastic will change in how we play. He can't run with the ball, can't half turn, can't dribble, he can't shield the ball THEN add his lose passes.

Recipe for disaster.

Again, expecting anything new from a 30 year old player who has never played in a Champions League QF game in his life, is expecting black magic.

Again, I will say it here, if Amorim doesn't bin Bruno in the next 1 year nothing drastic will change. We will go through the same 2 year cycle.

You used again three times. Just in this one post. Should give you a hint how triggered you seem to be. At this point, you can create your own thread arguing against makebelief opposition.

Leopards do not change their spots.

Which is exactly my point. Yet I am sure you have to agree that there will be matches this season for sure, we will get away with him playing in midfield. We know that because we did it already. Which is what I said - in some matches it might be fine for now. Doesn't mean we should push it and attempt it too often. But if the manager wants him to play that position despite all that, it isn't on the player. It is on the manager.

 

[AndyMUFC]

I thought he was decent to be fair. Still prefer him to be further forward generally, because we massively miss his creativity, but he can play it simple when he wants to.

 

[Dominos]

Opening 10 minutes he lost the ball twice in dangerous positions but we got away with it.

I just don't understand taking a player with horrendous ball retention and moving them further away from the oppositions goal and into a 2 man midfield.

In his 5 years here, has he ever been dropped or subbed for poor performances? You'd be lucky to dig out 1 or 2 instances, despite him putting in regular stinkers. It's early days but please don't tell me we have another manager who treats him as untouchable.

 

[Pickle85]

Opening 10 minutes he lost the ball twice in dangerous positions but we got away with it.

I just don't understand taking a player with horrendous ball retention and moving them further away from the oppositions goal and into a 2 man midfield.

In his 5 years here, has he ever been dropped or subbed for poor performances? You'd be lucky to dig out 1 or 2 instances, despite him putting in regular stinkers. It's early days but please don't tell me we have another manager who treats him as untouchable.

Yeah, weird that every manager we've had that has coached him sees him as a key player. It's almost like he's actually a really good, very important player for us. Also, he wasn't that bad today - hardly a 'stinker'.

 

[Baneofthegame]

Needs to be playing further forward, think after this season he will be need to be replaced.

 

[NZT-One]

Yeah, weird that every manager we've had that has coached him sees him as a key player. It's almost like he's actually a really good, very important player for us. Also, he wasn't that bad today - hardly a 'stinker'.

That reasoning doesn't become better the more often it is recited. Look at where it brought our coaches. Look what they achieved doing it. Look at where they are now.

 

[Dominos]

Yeah, weird that every manager we've had that has coached him sees him as a key player. It's almost like he's actually a really good, very important player for us. Also, he wasn't that bad today - hardly a 'stinker'.

The same managers who got sacked for dreadful performances and results, yep.

No player should be immune from being subbed or being benched occasionally.

 

[Pickle85]

That reasoning doesn't become better the more often it is recited. Look at where it brought our coaches. Look what they achieved doing it. Look at where they are now.

The same managers who got sacked for dreadful performances and results, yep.

No player should be immune from being subbed or being benched occasionally.

But the 'logic' that posits Bruno is to blame for our failings because he's one of the few constants makes no sense either. Are you both saying that all of our coaches since Bruno was bought have been wrong to see him as a key player? Because that's a LOT of high profile coaches to be wrong about the same thing. Particularly when you think that each would look at what went before and base their decisions on that. The fact is that he's been one of our most consistently productive players since joining and coaches would be mad not to have him as one of the first names on the team sheet. I'm glad Amorim seems to be on board as well.

Also to be clear I'm not saying he should be above being dropped if he's in poor form. But we have other, bigger problems.

 

[Dominos]

But the 'logic' that posits Bruno is to blame for our failings because he's one of the few constants makes no sense either. Are you both saying that all of our coaches since Bruno was bought have been wrong to see him as a key player? Because that's a LOT of high profile coaches to be wrong about the same thing. Particularly when you think that each would look at what went before and base their decisions on that. The fact is that he's been one of our most consistently productive players since joining and coaches would be mad not to have him as one of the first names on the team sheet. I'm glad Amorim seems to be on board as well.

Also to be clear I'm not saying he should be above being dropped if he's in poor form. But we have other, bigger problems.

No, they've been wrong to play him 90 minutes every single game and wrong to disregard performance levels and form when making their team selections and subs. There's a middle ground between a player being untouchable, and never playing him at all. Our managers have treated him as untouchable.

 

[Irwin99]

You can lose balls without bad passing.

He was also dispossessed just once according to the stats I looked at. Ugarte, who I thought had a better game than Bruno, was dispossessed three times.

Thought Bruno was alright, 6 out of 10. Not a problem for me, in this game at least.

 

[gza the genius]

Thought he was fine. It was basically him or Casemiro as Ugarte's partner. Not sure Casemiro would've worked out any better than us in there.

 

[Squeaky_Bum_Time]

His legs are going. He was incredibly energetic and dynamic when he first came here which made him the most dangerous and unpredictable CAM around. He's just gotten older and doesn't have the technique to make up for his increasing physical shortcomings.

Are his legs going or is he becoming a mere mortal who is being overplayed? He doesn't get injured often and has pretty much played every minute available for years. Even Amorim who hasn't been shy about rotating others, has played him every minute of the first 4 games except the last 24 minutes vs Everton, the most of any outfield player. Only Dalot has played as much as him this season overall.

Last season was no different, him and Dalot, the other anomaly, played ~700 more minutes than the next most player (Garnacho). In 2022-2023, he played the most minutes of our outfield fields and it was 900 (!) minutes more than the next in line (Rashford). His minutes total was equivalent to 58 full 90 minute matches. In 2021-2022, he played the most minutes of our outfield players, almost 700 minutes more than the second most.

This is all excluding international football.

Reality is the guy has been the only player who can pick a pass consistently even though he is sometimes wasteful, and other than him and Garancho, the rest of our forwards have either been not scoring enough (Rashford), or not even shooting enough (Hojlund). Managers overplay him because we are devoid of creativity otherwise, and often devoid of any bravery required to try things.

 

[Desert Eagle]

He was also dispossessed just once according to the stats I looked at. Ugarte, who I thought had a better game than Bruno, was dispossessed three times.

Thought Bruno was alright, 6 out of 10. Not a problem for me, in this game at least.

Yeah I have him as a 6/10 too. He just doesn't have the footballing brain to dictate tempo in midfield. Add to that his lack of physicality and I'm not a fan of playing him in the deeper role.

 

[bosnian_red]

Did well enough I thought. 2nd half became a farce with the constant set pieces and it was very stop start. Think he's comfortably shown he can do a very good job in CM next to Ugarte

 

[bosnian_red]

Opening 10 minutes he lost the ball twice in dangerous positions but we got away with it.

I just don't understand taking a player with horrendous ball retention and moving them further away from the oppositions goal and into a 2 man midfield.

In his 5 years here, has he ever been dropped or subbed for poor performances? You'd be lucky to dig out 1 or 2 instances, despite him putting in regular stinkers. It's early days but please don't tell me we have another manager who treats him as untouchable.

He's untouchable because he's our best and most reliable player. Obviously.

You move him back into midfield to get him more time on the ball and so he can use his passing range, while the 10s in this system need to be much more adept at playing with their back to goal, being press resistant, turning under pressure and carrying the ball. Bruno is perfect as a deeper playmaker in Amorims system but doesn't really fit the 10 as much for his needs.

 

[criticalanalysis]

He's untouchable because he's our best and most reliable player. Obviously.

You move him back into midfield to get him more time on the ball and so he can use his passing range, while the 10s in this system need to be much more adept at playing with their back to goal, being press resistant, turning under pressure and carrying the ball. Bruno is perfect as a deeper playmaker in Amorims system but doesn't really fit the 10 as much for his needs.

This is a very generous assessment of Bruno. Perfect deeper playmaker?

For Bruno, tonight's game was relatively conservative on his part and a 'did his job to the best of his abilities'. Whilst I was pulling my hair out with his trademark overly complicated/first time hollywood balls with no guile or composure, I can't fault him too much because asking him to play in a midfield two was a mistake on Amorim's behalf. At home against European fodder/teams that have no will to press/attack us sure but not away to Arsenal.

He's a 10, play him there or don't at all. He's not that good of a player to be putting him in a role to the detriment of our team. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts and all that.

 

[NZT-One]

No, they've been wrong to play him 90 minutes every single game and wrong to disregard performance levels and form when making their team selections and subs. There's a middle ground between a player being untouchable, and never playing him at all. Our managers have treated him as untouchable.

Exactly.

He was also dispossessed just once according to the stats I looked at. Ugarte, who I thought had a better game than Bruno, was dispossessed three times.

Thought Bruno was alright, 6 out of 10. Not a problem for me, in this game at least.

I personally don't know what justifies the one added point, a 5 for me is a performance where somebody doesn't stick out either positively nor negatively. I'd say yesterday he didn't pop up with notable things on the positive side (nothing you wouldn't expect of a player playing in his position) yet popped up with a small number of bad decisions and being weak against a midfield that was at least a level above ours physically and technically (Odegard). I think, I gave him a 5 and felt that was somewhat generous. The added pluspoint is something I don't get. (Just fyi: doesn't mean I think it is a mistake to give that rating, just that I don't understand it)

Did well enough I thought. 2nd half became a farce with the constant set pieces and it was very stop start. Think he's comfortably shown he can do a very good job in CM next to Ugarte

He may have. But certainly didn't show that yesterday. It was a lightweight 10 with a good passing range playing in CM. Wasn't a good idea with Eriksen, won't ever be a good idea with Bruno. There may be games here and there, where it works out, but I think, it would be a mistake to make those the default.

This is a very generous assessment of Bruno. Perfect deeper playmaker?

For Bruno, tonight's game was relatively conservative on his part and a 'did his job to the best of his abilities'. Whilst I was pulling my hair out with his trademark overly complicated/first time hollywood balls with no guile or composure, I can't fault him too much because asking him to play in a midfield two was a mistake on Amorim's behalf. At home against European fodder/teams that have no will to press/attack us sure but not away to Arsenal.

He's a 10, play him there or don't at all. He's not that good of a player to be putting him in a role to the detriment of our team. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts and all that.

100% the bolded part.

I really hope, Amorim doesn't do the same mistake, sticking to certain players despite them being not in form or unsuited to a certain role. His trust in Rashford and Bruno to come up with something wonderful on their own is one thing that killed the last manager. All this talk about Bruno not being able to play the 10 role just sounds knowledgabe but in reality, he haven't got a clue how Amorim wants the player in this position to play on a certain given way. He should adjust his plans to fit Bruno if he wants him on the pitch - but against a very good side forcing him in a midfield role is a net negative. He'll get away with it in a lot of other games I guess and I don't have too much of a problem seeing Bruno used there. At least for this season. Beyond that, we have to make sure to build up somebody to is going to be a mainstay in that position.

 

[FrankDrebin]

I thought he was alright but that position doesn't suit his game.

 

[Born2Lose]

Lost his head in the second half and as usual his game went too.

The way he's played previously shows that Amorim is more on top of this than ten Hag ever was.

 

[Devil81]

Clearly been told to be less maverick and more productive by Amorim. We're seeing far less of him bombing round the field out of position and also less of the crazy passes from stupid places on the field. I also don't think I've seen him hang on to the ball in our half yet either, no Cruyff style turns or risks are being taken.

I really like this Bruno.

 

[saivet]

He was also dispossessed just once according to the stats I looked at. Ugarte, who I thought had a better game than Bruno, was dispossessed three times.

Thought Bruno was alright, 6 out of 10. Not a problem for me, in this game at least.

I've had a look at other stats and Bruno had lost possession (13) the most out of the United players and it says Ugarte lost possession 8 times. He's clearly being more reserved in his passing which helps that stat and is improving his pass completion, but I think in both the CM and no.10 role, his issue is going to come losing the ball when getting pressed, rather than losing possession due to him being erratic or trying too much.

I think Bruno has proven he can adapt and he can be useful in both roles, but I think his close control in tight spaces and ability to beat the press will inevitably hold him back in this system longer term.

 

[top1whoisman]

Vote here.