Scholes was saying Bruno messes up the whole team by running all over the place and not being in a specific area we're players can find him and play patterns.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 47
- Goals
- 15
- Assists
- 12
- Yellow cards
- 12
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
He is lacking in ability big time and not exactly impressed with his attitude overall either has been found wanting more often than not when going gets tough .
Last edited:
Thought he played well today. Probably the best front 6 player on the pitch.
He isnt though. He is an average player who would not start in any team who care capable of mounting a challenge for league and European titles.
There’s a real sickening irony to him playing his best football now. Looking smart and considered in possession and even in what he’s attempting to do and being a more responsible captain, despite that ending in calamity.
Will it ever all click here? This Bruno with an actual functioning midfield?
Will it ever all click here? This Bruno with an actual functioning midfield?
If this is his best football then we're even more fecked
Most of them are pretty capable of fecking things up on their own but, generally speaking, he's not wrong. His starting positions are usually good, but from there, often times he looks to occupy the spaces where he will be able to do his thing while expecting the others to adjust. It's one of the reasons players who like to tuck inside/drop deep in the spaces between the lines to link up with others (Hojlund, Antony, even Sancho when he was a part if the team etc.), and pretty much depend on the movement around them, seem to be "ignored" by him. Not always, but it's a thing. Compare it with Arsenal, where Odegaard always "sees" Saka's (and the RB's) movement and does everything in his power to make their right side work. We are doing the exact opposite.
Yeah, it’s Odegaard that makes Arsenal’s right side work. Not the fact they have Saka there, while we have Marcus fecking Rashford…
Put Saka into this United side, constantly being double-marked by the touchline and trying to dribble his way through the box because the creative midfielder doesn't like coming into tight spaces (the FB is another matter altogether), and he'll become deadwood within a single season.
He would definitely have a much harder time playing for this United team but for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with Bruno. And he would still be streets ahead of Rashford.
You'd like to think so. It's funny seeing this forum's opinions on Martial and Rashford starting to shift after the "i wouldn't trade him for peak Messi" thread for the former and comparisons with Mbappé for the latter. While Son, for example, who's playing for poor ol' Spurs, has always been twice the player. But you'd get laughed at, if you ever claimed that on here. I hope you're right, Pogue, but i'm afraid i'm with Scholes on this one. Again, i'm not singing him out. I have argued elsewhere that this forum would be surprised to see where most of our supposed top-class players would end up, if we magically let them go tomorrow. Or go into wilful blindness, judging by De Gea's case. But that's where he belongs, too.
That’s just football fans being football fans. It’s always been that way. Although there once was a time when our partisanship was actually invested in players who really were world class. A very long time ago, depressingly. And I do think world class players can shine at poor/dysfunctional clubs. Torres or Xavi Alonso at Liverpool, for example. You would definitely disagree but I think Bruno has also probably outperformed his surroundings at United.
Scholes is spot on. There's no way we could play with structure with Bruno all over the place. And its on the manager as he allows that to happen.
Which is absolutely why he should play nowhere but rigidly in the no.10. When Fernandes “gets busy” aimlessly triggering presses by himself in deeper positions all it does is make us even easier to play through. Especially when you consider how easy it is to get past the very slight average paced portgueezer.
The manager's tactics require Bruno to cover a lot of ground. Most of yesterday Bruno was playing deeper than McTominay. If Bruno didn't chase back and try and cover, the midfield would be even more open than it currently is! Playing two players who want to crash the box/work around the box, McTominay and Bruno, is a big part of the problem. No amount of running around from Bruno is going to change that either.
I thought for the first half he actually played alright yesterday. His passing seemed way more measured and he picked out some lovely passes. It’s just he got done physically like a lot of our players by Newcastles desire and willingness to run. Couldn’t get away from anyone and doesn’t have the ability to create space for himself and he doesn’t have the ability to really get back at people and put in challenges.
Yeah, he's found a good vein of form recently. It's not just him. It's wrong to start a game against this Newcastle side with both Martial and Rashford. A guarantee that Newcastle would win all the second balls and challenges.
Normally I don’t like his errstic style but I’m going to defend him on this one. I saw him couple of time chasing guy on the right side because our starboy was in no men’s land. The same was with pressing where left side with Bruno triggers it and Marcus stays put. Then you got already two players out of positions.
You'd have a midfield full of Mason Mounts if it was up to you. Neat and tidy on the ball, but ultimately unproductive and also injury prone.
You would win more games.
If it was up to me, we'd have a technical number 10 like Wirtz, Bellingham, Ødegaard or Musiala or not a number 10 at all. How are we ever going to be a top team if we play someone who is lacking in technical ability and is unable to protect the ball as a number 10? We're effectively always one less midfielder than the opponents, and it shows nearly every game.
Replace Bruno with a box-to-box player like Guimaraes in our team and you'd see a huge difference in midfield.
As I wrote in another thread, case, mainoo, and Erikson would be a better midfield.
I concur.
I agree as well.
I'm sure we'll score plenty more goals with someone who barely creates any chances but has a respectable pass completion percentage.Guimaraes has created 2 big chances this season. The likes of James Garner and Christian Norgaard have created more.
Bruno has 3 assists this season on the PL, what exactly are we losing?
Guimaraes has created 2 big chances this season. The likes of James Garner and Christian Norgaard have created more.
We would gain far better control and more space, we would be playing more towards our opponents goal.
He created more chances than anyone in the PL last season. Only Trippier has created more chances than him this season. The attackers in front of him aren't converting the chances he's created for them, but let's swap him for someone who plays safer passes, because control, or something.
Guimaraes has created 2 big chances this season. The likes of James Garner and Christian Norgaard have created more.
Not only is that an incredibly narrow-minded way to look at it, but also funny, especially considering Newcastle has scored twice as many goals as us in the PL this season and dominated our midfield completely.
The sole argument you have is chance creation. Every single post. It's like you don't watch how bad we are, or you're just denying it, or blaming it on every other player. Imagine actually refusing to believe midfield control is a thing. I bet you would rather have Bruno over Keane, Iniesta or Xavi because Bruno creates more chances.
Well simple logic, his chances are not creating goals, so it's not working. We would not lose much at all but subbing him.
Because that's his job? That's like criticising someone who defends Haaland by saying "the sole argument you have is goals".
Mate I'm not the one who's too preoccupied gaming whilst United are on in the background
No, it's like praising AWB for being a fantastic defender for being world class at tackling. The reality is that you need much more than that, and if you think it's enough to just create chances as a midfielder in the Premier League, then you're in for a surprise.Because that's his job? That's like criticising someone who defends Haaland by saying "the sole argument you have is goals".
Mate I'm not the one who's too preoccupied gaming whilst United are on in the background
You got me good there, huh? I'm preoccupied gaming while watching United, and still I'm able to see how bad we are, while you refuse to acknowledge this. I'm sure myself and everyone else on this forum are wrong, though.
How is that relevant?
Chance creation is only 1 part of his job, there are many parts.Because that's his job? That's like criticising someone who defends Haaland by saying "the sole argument you have is goals".
Mate I'm not the one who's too preoccupied gaming whilst United are on in the background
This is why no top team has a player like Bruno.
If you think that we'd be higher in the table if we replaced Bruno with Joelinton then you're in for a surprise.
The analysis offered up by someone who prioritises gaming over watching the team they supposedly support isn't one I'd hold too much stock in.
I can see how bad we are. And like many others on this forum, I can see that 7 or 8 positions in our starting 11 need to be upgraded before Bruno.
If you consistently create chances for the striker and he rarely scores, is that your fault?
Except for Man City, who are a pretty decent team these days. If you think Bruno gives the ball away too much then your jaw will hit the floor when you see De Bruyne's pass completion stats.
I think we'd be higher in the table if we replaced Bruno with Bruno Guimaraes. You're not really replying to what I'm saying.
Are you being serious?
I don't even know why I bother with you. You're a grown man, so debate like one. If you can't have a discussion with someone who does something else while watching a game every now and then, why are you on this forum? Following your logic, posters on here can't even be on this forum during the match as we wouldn't be watching the game.Explain to me why you think Newcastle can create so many chances, score much more goals and dominate most games when they don't have a midfielder responsible for only creating chances?
Show me how many chances Bruno has created for Højlund.
Same argument over and over
De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders to ever play in this league. Bruno, mate, is not even close.