Had a bit of a shocker today I thought. Seemed a bit slow on the ball at times. He will obviously get better with more matches though.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 25
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 11
- Yellow cards
- 4
- Red cards
- 2
That turn on the byline was very nice
I'll give him one more chance and then it's off to Abu Dhabi
Nah, it wasn't just the fluffed clear chances. It was his dallying on the ball under pressure at the edge of their box and in the second half he started to treat the ball like a hot potato with it mostly not coming off. I suspect he'll be judged more harshly now that he's edged out that new contract we were under no pressure to give him. And rightly so. He needs to become consistent.
When you play a progressive/killer pass 20 times per game, a couple of them are bound to come off and for some fans those 2 good passes in a game are enough to worship the ground he walks on. The ball over the top for Garnacho being the example from tonight.
Overall though. His finishing in open play is not good, and he gives the ball away more than any player I can remember seeing. Just so many sloppy passes and baffling decisions.
We will never control games of football with a turnover machine at the heart of everything we do.
Overall though. His finishing in open play is not good, and he gives the ball away more than any player I can remember seeing. Just so many sloppy passes and baffling decisions.
We will never control games of football with a turnover machine at the heart of everything we do.
Have my doubts as well.
Should have had two - second was probably harder as it came quickly + a good save; first one he should have done much better on.
Played well at times, poor at others. Took some unnecessary shots
Played well at times, poor at others. Took some unnecessary shots
Very wasteful.
That'll hit those "big chance created" stats a bit I guess.
Don't think he was terrible today. Just isn't a striker, not sure why anybody thought that he would flourish as the highest player. I thought it was a rather typical performance from him. Biggest difference was the outcome, not the style
Overly harsh from people here tonight, he isn’t mr consistent with his passing but he made some great chances and movement was good enough to be in position for those 1v1s. Definitely not a terrible performance
The 2 missed chances have to be scored by any attacking player. If only our strikers can be expected to score sitters then we're in big trouble.
Lack of goals from open play from our other attackers is one of the reason we struggle to win games.
First game of the season? After a 10-14day preseason? His first game was the sheild last week. I think you can cut him some slacks.
It’s the first game of the season. He has played one game, last week before the start of the season. He only resumed training after his holiday a couple of weeks ago. Your expectations should be tempered by those facts, or you might come off a tad unreasonable.
I don’t believe he was, but try to remember he’s only been back in training since 2nd.
It’s unreasonable to expect him to be razor sharp and totally fit in the first game of the season.
My expectations of players putting away chances? You're acting like he's just come off of a 9 month injury layoff, he was literally great just last weekend
Goodness stop trying to treat players with kiddie gloves
I just don't see in him what other people seemingly do.
Was careless with the ball, as usual, but normally he takes his chances to mask that side of his game - today he was just wasteful.
Was careless with the ball, as usual, but normally he takes his chances to mask that side of his game - today he was just wasteful.
Sure. I just worry he'll be very hit and miss, like he was last season. And we can't afford for him not to be consistently good.
Don't think he was that careless... 84% pass accuracy today. His issue today was he chose to shoot a few teams instead of passing and then missed a couple of good chances. But he wasn't losing the ball recklessly... If anything he's tidied that side up more recently
Couple of good passes but generally he was shite. At times in the first half when we were trying to link a few decent attacks together it seemed to always break down at the feet of him
Agree with those saying most are being overly harsh, I don't know if it's because the new season has brought more expectations, but this was already a much better game than the majority from last season
I didn’t quote you specifically - just a random selection box of negativity streets- soMy expectations of players putting away chances? You're acting like he's just come off of a 9 month injury layoff, he was literally great just last weekend
Goodness stop trying to treat players with kiddie gloves
I didn’t mean anything personal by it, but the criticism is unwarranted when other than missing a handful of excellent opportunities he was very good, he was everywhere stringing the team together and being a major piece of our transition as he usually is, especially in the context of it being GD1. He has played one game and isn’t going to be fully match fit/sharp yet. Thats all.
That’s fair, but if he isn’t consistent this season we should at least have Mount/Zirkzee/Amad who can fill in at no.10
Depth is key
Leno is a keeper that closes his eyes when he is coming out of his goal. All Bruno had to do was to dink it past him, which given his audacity, I thought he would attempt for at least one of the chances. 2 glorious chances missed that could've easily cost us points. Lovely turn that started the goal sequence for Zirkzee.
Was rubbish but you can give some leeway given no pre-season and only the community shield to contend for his match fitness.
It's nothing new with Bruno, he'll have the string of games where he's below par and then a few where he plays to a higher standard but in a midfield that's still lacking the right foundations to progress the play and distribute from the middle he'll still be pivotal irrespective of his overall performance.
It's nothing new with Bruno, he'll have the string of games where he's below par and then a few where he plays to a higher standard but in a midfield that's still lacking the right foundations to progress the play and distribute from the middle he'll still be pivotal irrespective of his overall performance.
You guys ever do that drill where if you have the ball for more than 2 seconds there's a whistle and you have to do pushups? That's what we need Bruno on.
He was absolutely fantastic when he took a touch and played a pass. When he starts running around with it he's a liability. He's just not fast or strong to get away from challenges, generally (yes other than his turn for the goal).
Also have no idea why he was out wide-right for the last 20? Seemed odd. We needed bodies in midfield and he went awol.
He was absolutely fantastic when he took a touch and played a pass. When he starts running around with it he's a liability. He's just not fast or strong to get away from challenges, generally (yes other than his turn for the goal).
Also have no idea why he was out wide-right for the last 20? Seemed odd. We needed bodies in midfield and he went awol.
I love Bruno but he should have had at least a brace. For all the good he does in general play -- including in the build up to our winner -- it's not enough if he has the chance to decide things and doesn't. The big players have to produce the big moments. A bit of composure in front of goal in the first half sets up an easy game for us. Has to do better.
Exactly, he is not a striker. Thought he'd was excellent after we brought on a striker.
Thats actually not that difficult of a question to me. When ETH took over, he didn't change too much. We became better and braver playing it out of the back but everything else kept more or less the same as under Ole. Ole ball with different players - that means a rather simple but effective gameplan which is capable of giving you results to a certain level but isn't propel you into the higher echelons some of our rivals are at.
My initial thought was "ok, maybe we had different expectations with ETH and what he likes" because Ole Ball certainly wasn't what many expected. But I guessed he wanted to keep everything positive not putting too much change on the squad in too little of time. But after the first season he did this change and he went pretty all in with it, buying Mount and sticking to this "two ten'ish players in midfield" for quite some time even though it really didn't work (in connection with different factors of course).
See your point but I guess we value them a little different (which is fine of course). In short: I generally agree, the group should have improved and keeping the manager meant continuation which is mostly positive. On the other hand, we have to see other factors as well - we lost Varane, Shaw drifted more towards the sicknote status, Sancho and Antony look more hopeless. Mainoo and Garnacho aren't fresh entities but opponents will be prepared to make life more difficult for them. Also age for everybody.
And while continuation is a good thing per se - the effect is greatly reduced when it moves towards stubborness. Not saying we reached that point but it certainly is in the cards. But the main part is - and I think you know what I mean - what we need isn't just improving on an individual level, we need improvement on a collective level. And in terms of that, I am not too sure that we are moving a great deal. Thats what I mean - we play the same stuff with slightly different personel. Our pressing is getting more organized, I'll give him that, but it feels apart from that, there isn't that much of a plan.
I thought I may have been too pessimistic after the 1st half yesterday, because we've seen a team, that was so energetic and on the front foot - I really thought "maybe there is stuff happening" - and maybe there is - but the 2nd half was back to our ways of last season. So I am still inbetween - and I wonder what some of the "turned a corner" mentality is based on. Btw: this is not an attempt of a gotcha - I am genuinely asking myself whether I don't see something everybody else is seeing but for me, the optimistic undertone is mostly based on a few good results at the end of last season and some good transfers. Not that anything is wrong with that - but it certainly isn't the same as "we finally clicked and seem to have a different plan".
I agree with the overall point but not too sure of implication. There was a significant change between season one and two. Difficult to talk about season 3 but preseason indicates that it will be a continuation of last seasons plan rather than another switch or a return to season one.
I think Bruno, similar to Rashford, is a very instinctive player, so when it comes off it can be sublime but when not it’s frustrating.
For me though he has too many moments when he makes the wrong decisions or execution in crucial moments in the match. There’s times when we had momentum and if he had took a moment it could have been a more comfortable evening.
He wasn’t the only one though and it is the first game of the season. However his base level has to be consistently better if he is to be the captain and the lynch pin for our attack. 80% of 100 should be the level he sets for the rest of the team to follow.
For me though he has too many moments when he makes the wrong decisions or execution in crucial moments in the match. There’s times when we had momentum and if he had took a moment it could have been a more comfortable evening.
He wasn’t the only one though and it is the first game of the season. However his base level has to be consistently better if he is to be the captain and the lynch pin for our attack. 80% of 100 should be the level he sets for the rest of the team to follow.
There was a brief period of time where the game got stretched and out of control and he had two moments where just a bit of quality or taking his time and we were off and he panicked and screwed the pooch. Seemed like easy passes for him but first game of the season and all that.
Worked his ass off, should have had a couple of goals. That one where it’s shifted on to his left and he just waits too long was weird. I’m guessing he was thinking of trying to slip that in to Rashford but that was one of those moments where you just hit it.
Worked his ass off, should have had a couple of goals. That one where it’s shifted on to his left and he just waits too long was weird. I’m guessing he was thinking of trying to slip that in to Rashford but that was one of those moments where you just hit it.
Could’ve scored two yesterday and didn’t. Ah well, one of those days. The second one was just unlucky, it was a decent finish that happened to be stopped by a widespreading Leno. The first one though, he could’ve shot it in so many ways, so weird that he chose to shoot by outside of his foot, which is always going to be weak and difficult to steer - a bit amateurish I think. It was an attacking equivalent of Bassey’s airkick clearance at the end.
Remains a "moments" player. For every good moment, there are 5 moments of poor play. You cannot have the ambition to be the best team while having this guy as a key player.
Bookies still seem to think there’s around a 50% chance he gets sold this month. Would be a masterpiece bit of business if the new contract helps get a better deal for us and him.
I think he is just too wasteful overall with the ball and it makes it very hard to control a game with him.
I think he is just too wasteful overall with the ball and it makes it very hard to control a game with him.
Not a chance he'll be sold.
Tell me you didn’t watch pre-season? We clearly played differently to last season trying a completely new system. A system we have carried out in the community shield and the first game of the season. Guessing you just looked at the results in isolation?
He did lose possession of the ball 20 times according to the stats. Bruno hitting the 20+ mark is basically standard for him.
If only 8 of them came from bad passes, he must have been dispossessed a lot through bad touches/getting tackled but I'd have to rewatch all his touches to know for sure.
It's very rare I come out of a game and think "Bruno kept the ball well today". The guy is a turnover machine.
100% agree with this. It's why you don't really see the elite clubs in Europe remotely interested in him imo, they know what type of player he is.
It's why I don't rate him. I actually think playing through him is a detriment to any team looking to win trophies as you essentially forgo attempting to control football matches.
This is something that most fans will only be willing to accept years after he's gone and we finally get to build a team that can actually keep possession of a football. Then it may finally dawn on them that building a team to play turnover football was why we never got anywhere near a league title.
In the main forum fans are celebrating his new 300k contract extension... Basically ensuring that for the next 3 years minimum we'll be a team who don't control games of football, as at the heart of everything we do are players who are addicted to giving the ball back to the opposition.
And Bruno's not the only one to be fair. In terms of current key senior players, Casemiro and Rashford are big culprits.