Bruno Fernandes’ “Bad Season”

[DevilRed]

Gone to shit like the rest of the team.

The virus has finally reached him. Even the usually incredible Bruno has been made a mere mortal.

 

[Irrational.]

Under a proper coach he will get better - and give us better numbers, of that I am sure.

 

[Judas]

Under a proper coach he will get better - and give us better numbers, of that I am sure.

This is my hope too. It's just his game will need to be refined and in a way so much more controlled to work under Ten Hag. Can Bruno work like that? If he's not allowed to roam and do whatever the feck he likes, can he succeed? Guess we'll find out.

 

[kouroux]

I don't see how a good manager makes him stop these bad passes or these crazy dangerous flicks in our final third.
You're either a player who is intelligent in those moments or you're not. At his age, the room for improvement is none

 

[Offside]

He has been consistently shite but definitely could be good for us. We’re so broken everyone has been crap. Even Ronaldo who is the only shining light this season was getting lambasted by this place at one point. I’d get rid of 90% of the squad before Bruno.

 

[NinjaZombie]

Should stop taking penalties. He's been bad at them since Ronaldo arrived.

 

[gajender]

100%

He single handedly made watching United enjoyable (at times) in his first two years.

He had good first 6 months and he had been underwhelming ever since earlier his Goals and Assists masked his awful performances but that was never sustainable it's not as if nobody saw it coming .

 

[Jev]

I don't see how a good manager makes him stop these bad passes or these crazy dangerous flicks in our final third.
You're either a player who is intelligent in those moments or you're not. At his age, the room for improvement is none

Especially because you would assume Ten Hag wouldn't be the first manager to tell him: Maybe stop pointlessly throwing the ball away all the time, eh?

 

[tenpoless]

I don't see how a good manager makes him stop these bad passes or these crazy dangerous flicks in our final third.
You're either a player who is intelligent in those moments or you're not. At his age, the room for improvement is none

Sir Alex would have turned red and told him to stop fecking doing it.
He's a risk taker but if you remember his first season, he's not that crazy, unstable and always losing the ball type of risk taker.
But yeah currently he's no better than the other players, both mentally and performance wise. While the other sulks, he's always hot headed these days. Definitely need a telling off. And if he can't change that just let someone else play.

 

[Gottabekiddingme]

He can't play with Ronaldo. We need to accept it. Ronaldo should move on for the betterment of everyone. I'd like to see what Bruno can do as the main man under ETH

 

[kouroux]

Sir Alex would have turned red and tell him to stop fecking doing it.
He's a risk taker but if you remember his first season, he's not that crazy, unstable and always losing the ball type of risk taker.
But yeah currently he's no better than the other players, both mentally and performance wise. While the other sulks he's always hot headed these days. Definitely need a telling off. And if he can't change that just let someone else play.

Pure hypothetical but I have no doubt, SAF would have ended up benching him at best and possibly selling him too.
I remember his first season, he was the the same player but a lot more productive and confident. He'd try outrageous stuff that made no sense from a logical POV in terms of football but it would work out for whatever reason. It was never gonna be sustainable

 

[wise_old_man]

I just hope the penalty was given to him by Ronaldo, instead of Bruno selfishly asserting his captain authority and taking it.

 

[Brwned]

Sir Alex would have turned red and told him to stop fecking doing it.
He's a risk taker but if you remember his first season, he's not that crazy, unstable and always losing the ball type of risk taker.
But yeah currently he's no better than the other players, both mentally and performance wise. While the other sulks, he's always hot headed these days. Definitely need a telling off. And if he can't change that just let someone else play.

He really has always been the kind of player who loses the ball on the edge of the box for Xhaka’s goal and constantly surrenders possession because of rushed passes. They all stem from the same problem; he’s too weak to hold onto the ball and not nimble enough to beat a man, so he needs to get rid of it quickly. He’s been that player long before he came to us, and it necessitates constant risk taking in dangerous positions.

He said early on he was fortunate to have players with Rashford, Greenwood and Martial running onto it; their speed turns hopeful passes into dangerous ones. Now he doesn’t have that he’s having to work a lot harder.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Either he has shit decision making or his execution is up to make at the highest level. He shouldn't get a free ride and automatic starting place next season.

 

[Rozay]

I don't see how a good manager makes him stop these bad passes or these crazy dangerous flicks in our final third.
You're either a player who is intelligent in those moments or you're not. At his age, the room for improvement is none

The point that I am not getting with all of these comments about how a new coach would stop him playing the way he plays is - what would be left? If you had a Bruno with the mandate of not playing killer balls all the time and instead linking and knitting the play - how good a player is that? People have been saying this but, will he actually be a top player being asked to keep it simple? Will he be better than VDB, for instance? Because the difference between the two is in the risk that they take for me, but further back in the middle third of the pitch, playing more conservatively, Bruno becomes an instantly upgradeable player for me.

Playing killer balls is literally all that makes him above average. He has no skill, strength, turn, dribbling or any of the tools needed to have a game that focuses on things other than just playing killer passes.

 

[ElBarto]

The point that I am not getting with all of these comments about how a new coach would stop him playing the way he plays is - what would be left? If you had a Bruno with the mandate of not playing killer balls all the time and instead linking and knitting the play - how good a player is that? People have been saying this but, will he actually be a top player being asked to keep it simple? Will he be better than VDB, for instance? Because the difference between the two is in the risk that they take for me, but further back in the middle third of the pitch, playing more conservatively, Bruno becomes an instantly upgradeable player for me.

Playing killer balls is literally all that makes him above average. He has no skill, strength, turn, dribbling or any of the tools needed to have a game that focuses on things other than just playing killer passes.

Strength- possibly one of the weakest players in the PL. Looks malnourished and the amount of times he loses a 50/50 or gets simply brushed off is predictable. I think 70% of his petulance and diving is due to his own embarrassment at being such a weakling

 

[kouroux]

The point that I am not getting with all of these comments about how a new coach would stop him playing the way he plays is - what would be left? If you had a Bruno with the mandate of not playing killer balls all the time and instead linking and knitting the play - how good a player is that? People have been saying this but, will he actually be a top player being asked to keep it simple? Will he be better than VDB, for instance? Because the difference between the two is in the risk that they take for me, but further back in the middle third of the pitch, playing more conservatively, Bruno becomes an instantly upgradeable player for me.

Playing killer balls is literally all that makes him above average. He has no skill, strength, turn, dribbling or any of the tools needed to have a game that focuses on things other than just playing killer passes.

Playing the killer balls is not an issue for me. It is about attempting them at the right moment, under the right circumstances.
That intelligence of differentiating the right moments or not to be making those passes is something he will never have at his age. I don't mind fecking up passes, what annoys me is when they're not called for, the fact that he berates his teammates for his mistakes and how he dives pathetically for FKs when he loses the ball in dangerous areas

 

[Rozay]

Playing the killer balls is not an issue for me. It is about attempting them at the right moment, under the right circumstances.
That intelligence of differentiating the right moments or not to be making those passes is something he will never have at his age. I don't mind fecking up passes, what annoys me is when they're not called for, the fact that he berates his teammates for his mistakes and how he dives pathetically for FKs when he loses the ball in dangerous areas

Indeed, but I feel that a large part of the reason they are attempted so frequently is because he has nothing else. He would mix up his game if he had the ability to. He does not want to engage any opponent or be engaged, so the ball must be moved on first time. The lack of strength, skill, agility etc to actually hold onto the ball and make better choices is not there. He needs space and time to keep the ball for more than one or two touches, or it ends with him falling over and holding his ankle.

 

[RedDevilQuebecois]

Under a proper coach he will get better - and give us better numbers, of that I am sure.

I can only hope because, man, even watching him play has become genuinely depressing. I just can't remember any player going from being the heartbeat of the team to becoming a total non-factor within one season.

 

[Vidyoyo]

He can't play with Ronaldo. We need to accept it. Ronaldo should move on for the betterment of everyone. I'd like to see what Bruno can do as the main man under ETH

Agree but it's not just Ronaldo. He can't play with Sancho either. Basically anybody who wants the ball played to their feet and doesn't want to run onto a Hollywood pass.

Bruno's best qualities only come out when he has players who want to run forward and break the defensive line, like Rashford did last year.

 

[el3mel]

He can't play with Ronaldo. We need to accept it. Ronaldo should move on for the betterment of everyone. I'd like to see what Bruno can do as the main man under ETH

Why not move Bruno on instead? You know, bench him.

 

[Abraxas]

I think it'd help if there was a bit more to aim at. We know he's not a patient player, or a possession player. Does that work? I'd say it depends on the framework of the team, and also the individuals. Maybe you can have one bloke who is a little profligate, if he's also performing and the others are working to give him better odds of succeeding.

At the moment it's a mess because Bruno is trying all sorts which is his nature, and yet we have no team structure or idea. We have a striker with certain limitations of age, an enthusiastic but immature right wing, a left wing who is still adapting. Very limited threat from full back to hit.

I think he's frustrated as well as playing poorly himself.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

maybe I’m overreacting but I find him massively dislikeable

 

[Desert Eagle]

maybe I’m overreacting but I find him massively dislikeable

You're not alone. He's achieved nothing in the game and has a huge ego for one. Secondly he whines and overacts all the time. It's already cost us as the refs think he's crying wolf when he does actually get fouled. Thirdly his use of the football is something no child should emulate. It's been found out by most of the prem defenders now that he cant actually dribble or make consistent accurate passes . Lastly his "pressing" is horrendous and actually hurts the team.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Gone to shit like the rest of the team.

The virus has finally reached him. Even the usually incredible Bruno has been made a mere mortal.

Agreed

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

maybe I’m overreacting but I find him massively dislikeable

Personally think you are overreacting massively. He cares, and represents the club/badge with pride. Agreed his form as been poor as of late but he’s also had spells of carrying this team on his back. It’s hard to maintain that surrounded by complete dross!

 

[abraz79]

Should stop taking penalties. He's been bad at them since Ronaldo arrived.

He hasn't been as reliable since he was so criticized for doing that little hop before hitting the ball, that he changed his MO.

 

[BusbyMalone]

He's just following the same trajectory as every other fecking player who's come into this club post-Fergie. Says more about the state of this club than anything.

 

[sebsheep]

The point that I am not getting with all of these comments about how a new coach would stop him playing the way he plays is - what would be left? If you had a Bruno with the mandate of not playing killer balls all the time and instead linking and knitting the play - how good a player is that? People have been saying this but, will he actually be a top player being asked to keep it simple? Will he be better than VDB, for instance? Because the difference between the two is in the risk that they take for me, but further back in the middle third of the pitch, playing more conservatively, Bruno becomes an instantly upgradeable player for me.

Playing killer balls is literally all that makes him above average. He has no skill, strength, turn, dribbling or any of the tools needed to have a game that focuses on things other than just playing killer passes.

One of the games he received a lot of praise for was the Villarreal game where he came in as a sub and focused less on the killer balls and more on knitting everything together.

 

[fastwalker]

In all competitions:

9 goals
13 assists
22 goal contributions
0 penalties

In the league alone, he had 71 chances created before the Leeds game, more than anyone else. After that masterclass, I fancy he’s on at least 75 now. Better stats than the much heralded Bernardo Silva, KdB, ESR, Saka, Mount, Grealish, Son, Mane, need I go on? This doesn’t even take last season and the half-season before into account, where he was in the top 10 best players in the world period.

He has been the best thing to happen to us since Fergie retired. One of the best midfielders in the world, and definitely in the KdB conversation, although people aren’t ready to talk about it yet.

The honeymoon for Bruno is now well and truly over. The shortcomings of this man are now clear for all to see. Yet another example of a player who has actually got worse rather than better after joining United.

 

[Rozay]

One of the games he received a lot of praise for was the Villarreal game where he came in as a sub and focused less on the killer balls and more on knitting everything together.

That was his best ever game for us IMO, and by some distance, but I think it’s a stretch to take that game as what Bruno is ‘on-form’ and how he simply needs to get back to that as if it was a regular performance for him.

 

[Hughie77]

Had an indifferent season along with a few more, the sacking of Ole, was massive and Imo a lot of those players new it was down to them as well.
Maybe the guilt of that has played on his mind and a few others, as the season before lock down one they were pretty decent, but alot of those games imo were false results bearing in mind the no crowd scenario. New season next coming up put a line through this one don't look back on it and move forward. Bruno will be OK

 

[Martial]

He'll be fine.

The whole squad is a disaster at the minute.

 

[Ash_G]

One think I notice with him is that it looks like every time he makes a mistake his first instinct is to have a go at someone else- never a good sign. I don't think his issues are anything to do with the players around him, he is just essentially a wild card. Capable of the brilliant but also can be a liability.

That said currently with all the weaknesses we have throughout the team those downsides I think come through even stronger because he'll give the ball away cheaply and that's not something we can afford to do.

It will be interesting to see what happens going fwd. Even if we get better players in and they are able to compensate for his downsides, does he have enough upsides to make him someone we can carry? I imagine whilst we're transitioning he is someone who with the right players around him and a good reality check from the manager can still be an asset but I don't think it's clear cut.

 

[Jeppers7]

He was shit last season too.

 

[Greck]

Oh please, he hasn't gone to shit like everyone else. He has gone to shit worse than everyone else. If you thought Pogba playing 1 good game every 5 was bad I'm not sure Bruno has had a good game in 2022. Only Rashford can tie that. Even Sancho has flashed good for a couple games.

The whole thread is a caution to unsustainable counting stats. We've had several players with amazing G/A per minute stats from their first 12 months. The signs should have been taken more serious and that goes tenfold to the club for doubling those wages after they were well flashing red.

 

[Joseunited]

He can't play with Ronaldo. We need to accept it. Ronaldo should move on for the betterment of everyone. I'd like to see what Bruno can do as the main man under ETH

You do realise they play together for Portugal.

 

[Kush]

Best signing we've made post-Fergie era. Having a terrible 2nd half of the season but still our best player. Needs to be tactically disciplined under next manager because the underlying quality is there.

Laughable people think he is a problem.

 

[JPRouve]

You do realise they play together for Portugal.

Is Portugal a good argument? They have been painful to watch lately.

 

[lawliet354]

Is Portugal a good argument? They have been painful to watch lately.

Yeah and they play better without Bruno anyway