What downward trend are you talking about? What does that even mean? Who is everyone exactly? Are we on an upward trend because of a horrible previous game and previous season now and does it mean we will start winning those games soon? How can Pep even improve his team, when he has no Bruno to get rid of?
Also, we're still in Bruno thread and why we are apparently a shit team because of him. Not only he's at fault for us not winning more away games against top 11 after 25 games, but also because of him we conceded 17 goals in a very important stat of "goals conceded when playing away against 2nd, 5th and 9th team in the league"? Is there legitimately anything that the "Maguire of our midfield" is not at fault for?
Listen me out, at least you pass your arguments as a sober mind in this thread.
1. This thread was made in Oct 2022. Not after Liverpool game, so it's something that has detected by others long before.
2. It's 100% true we have not won a league title with Bruno in the team up to now as the title describes.
And we try to make a case that if we need to go to the next level of winning championship and champion league you need more in Midfield. ------Same argument as ( Same as Rashford not being a striker, we need a competent proven striker to lead our line for us to achieve genuine consistent glory) Rashford is inverted winger we know that. This also can be said to be right.
3. Now to anyone supporting the notion of Bruno being the weak-link in our midfield is founded on, generally we play with 2 man midfield when he's on the team. He not a midfielder per say.
OP called him a Pseudo midfielder, abit dramatic but you get the picture. Bruno is like a second striker.
THIS IS ENTIRELY ON WHERE HE'S POSITIONED IN THE PITCH.
It has nothing to do with his abilities first.
4. Bruno abilities now compound the issue more, let's discuss his abilities..
a). Bruno can not hold on the ball for more than 5 seconds when pressed. Either he releases the ball immediately or he's dispossessed or he fakes a fall down. He's turnover in the Midfield is huge. That's why he play acts frequently.
b). Bruno can not dribble through the Midfield. He's not a ball carrier. When it's not a counter Attack, Bruno can not carry the ball from midfield to attacking position by himself.
You saw how FDJ would find a way to dribble in Midfield during our game with Barca. Bruno has no such skillset. Or how Bernado Silva/KDB progresses the ball in city or how Odergaard does for Arsenal evade tackles and make a good pass thereafter.
c). Bruno is not physical enough. When physicality comes into play in midfield battles, Bruno is the least performer in our team. As much as Fred as his deficiencies he gets stuck in Midfield battles, he might not win all the balls but he's in the tackles and those fights. Meaning we have less midfield body by virtue of his positioning then also less body to do tackles when need be.
d). Bruno is not a controller or ball recycler. We all know this, it has been documented immensely. Bruno when he gets ball instantly he looks for Hollywood passes, we all know Hollywood passes 90% don't go as intended.
His opposite is Eriksen. We know how Eriksen does, his composure on the ball, and brain on when to attack or just control the tempo of the game.
Now when you put all this into play we are sure to get a weak midfield, an open midfield when playing against better midfielders and lack of possession when playing against possessive teams, his positives we become transition team, counter attack team, games become basketball end to end.
Can all this be supported by anyone..
I'm confident Ten Hag has detected this, that's why Bruno is being pushed to the wings.
In as much as we may complain about Wout, the manager who we all agree is the best man for the job ever since 2013, can see what Wout brings to team is more superior to what Bruno brings in that number 10 position.
It's not a coincidence mate, it's not. Yes we agree Wout is not the required level to play such a position for Man United but Bruno also is not.
If Bruno was competent enough, Ten Hag wouldn't play Wout there. As sad as it seems. We know is a honest and genuine human being.
My best example for this was...
If Casemiro and Scot are playing same time, WE CAN NOT see Scot playing number 6 while Casemiro is out of position to number 10.
Why because there is no one better as a number 6 in the team than Casemiro. He's the specialist of that number.
5. Why Bruno is the Maguire of our Midfield. - This an easy analogy.. as we the fans wanted to be a team that keeps the ball, and PLAYS from the back Maguire became a very hard player to explain. He looked like a competent defender people had different opinions of him as a player, but it was a correct observation that for us to be comfortable at the back, be able to withstand pressing well we needed a defender who was capable of playing in such a way.
Even with Varane next to Maguire (last season) still playing from the back became a very big problem. We needed to sign Licha for us to see how a competent defender brings to the table. Now we can agree with Maguire we wouldn't have moved to the next level.
Even with Maguire we used to win games, but now we see what a competent defender brings to the teams play...
Now with Bruno is same, we have signed Casemiro ( like Varane last season to partner Maguire) but the Midfield issues remain.
We don't control football matches, we still do sub 40% possession for us to win big games in OT. (Only Barca we had above 40% possession, all arsenal, city, Liverpool we had below 40% possession at HOME and away we know what happened with below 40% possession), we still get overrun in Midfield, we still play transition counter attacking football.
This is the analogy that, for us to move to the next level we need a more competent midfielder next to Casemiro.
I guarantee you if we sign a 'Odergaard' type of player the team will be transformed immediately.
I believe in Ten Hag 100% because he's the only manager/person how has shown me that he see's this big problem in the team for how it is by pushing Bruno out of that Midfield even in big games, but it's negated by Bruno having no other skills to play in wings that why we become unbalanced.
Ten Hag prefers the unbalanced play than being overrun with turnovers.
So I'm 100% sure the manager will find a solution to the problem, and as it seems it's another player who will be bought to play that position as Wout is doing it now.
I hope I have explained myself well
I actually wished someone had been sent off. At least it would have showed a bit of a fight and at the very least given us an excuse for the hiding we got.