Yeah you have nailed it exactly
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 12
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 2
Tend to agree. We have failed collectively because our squad is built on the wrong profile of player for Premier League football.
Bruno is a fantastic technician and undoubtedly a good player, but is he a player to build a Premier League team around? I am really not sure...and he certainly doesn't fit in this system, neither as one of Amorim's '#10' or as a CM / #8
He should be utilised higher up the pitch where he's shown he can contribute with goals and assists. Amorim really needs to get results or he needs to change his formation which I'm not sure he's willing to do.
When did this happen?
I think the problem is that of all the players we've got, he's still the best choice for that position. This is a pretty bad sign for the state of our midfield because he is not suited to that position at all.
Agreed. Fernandes should be playing in the final third more centrally. I'm not sure what the thinking behind selecting a coach who plays with two attacking midfielders behind the striker was when you had Fernandes and still went on-to sign Cunha and Mbuemo. Mbuemo in particular was a luxury buy which has come at the expense of a midfielder it seems. And now Amorim is trying to shoehorn Bruno into a slightly deeper role which may create a number of problems.
I see your point, but I don't think, we have the time to wait until we have such a group if inbetween, Bruno is placed into the midfield position. Since this is less than ideal. Talk about removing captaincy or selling, thats mostly fluff since its most likely never gonna happen anyways and because it isn't the actual pain point - the painpoint is forcing him into the team in a position he isn't suited to play in. For sure not when played together with Casemiro.He's been the focal point because he's our best playerHe just isnt a 1 man team. If we had 3 or 4 other Brunos like the best teams do we'd be in a much better position. I'm hopeful Cunha is 1... 3 more to go
Midfield can be anything. Its up to the manager to decide what he wants them to provide. But with just 2 you're always going to be short of some things.There are successful CMs who do a lot less than Bruno defensively and far less going forward.
He's very good and Kimmich, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Pedri arent available so its a no brainer to keep him and play him.
Agree to disagree I guess. I don't know how it is supposed to work with a player who is so instinctively ball-drawn as Bruno and has no defensive instincts on his own. He sometimes gets it right, but I think it is obvious that it doesn't come natural to him. And thats not even a dig - the guy is an attacking midfielder and a good one at that. The thing with the numbers in midfield is overdone in my eyes. Amorims Sporting didn't have that issue with the 2 being outnumbered - they didn't because they worked well together as team with the CB being pushed closer towards the midfield and being more comfortable to defend (the inevitable) balls in behind. Also the players we have in the nominal AM positions are supposed to be midfielders as well, not wingers. Our system right now is specifically designed to have a very well stocked centre of the pitch. The reason it isn't working is because of some players in their specific roles. And Bruno is one of them as long as he is expected to play in midfield. He could play mostly the same as he doesn right now while having a starting position of one our AMs. That would probably be the best solutions. He isn't great at holding and we would lose a bit of an outlet but it isn't as if we could make use of that outlet anyways (though early days).
Bruno is a very good AM. Better than all the players you listed most likely. But as a CM, he isn't very good - thats wishful thinking. Mostly of fans who don't want their shiny attackers sitting on the bench and then think, they could get away with placing AMs as CMs. If that would be feasible, you'd see it in many teams. But you don't - for a reason.
You either want pressing from the front or you dont. You cant be 50/50 with it.
Our coach asks for pressing so our players are pressing. Yes if the press fails now you're more vulnerable. Thats the price you pay for pressing. Bruno presses and will not hold as a screening defensive midfielder. We don't want 2 of those anyway at most 1 and that would be the other midfielder. Its clearly our tactic that Casemiro/Ugarte are not deployed as an extra CB holding in front of the CBs. They get the ball further forward and will be part of the press as well. That is what the manager has chosen as his strategy.
Which is something I am fine with (was also fine with it with ETH) but then he needs to make sure that the CBs are pushing up because otherwise it creates a huge space to play into. Plus I'd say maybe our pressing has been a little too overeager - other teams are better in terms of choosing their moments.
That being said - I totally agree, the issues we have are much more connected with our approach, than the formation. And if the plan is to press agressively, then I am as happy as it gets. But then Amorim simply can't put Casemiro on the pitch. Nor Shaw because I don't think those are able to provide the intensity needed. Pressing is great and it is a waste of time if you don't do it properly. We are behind the times for a while, most teams not only press they also figured out how to beat a press. And the less "good executed" our press is, the more vulnerable we become.
But this belies the stats which are that Casemiro is the player who wins the ball the most. He profits most from the pressing and has the best outcomes of our players
Is that so? I don't know, sounds like a stat snippet at first glance and maybe he has won the ball the most this season but considering this season is just 2 games old and we have a loss and a draw, I'd be inclined to point to a "too small of a samplesize" response.
I'm not talking about this season I'm talking about over a year
Casemiro has the highest ball winning stats in the team and one of the highest of any midfielder. Thats why hes playing
The standards have dropped drastically. He wouldn’t get into the first 11 of the best teams. He gives the ball away way way too much.He's been the focal point because he's our best player
I greatly appreciate all that he's done for us, but he is currently costing us points. The CM role simple isn't for him.
I'm not sure where the confusion is coming from. It was abundantly clear that Fernandes would be utilised deeper in midfield when we brought in Cunha and Mbeumo, after he had already been used there plenty last season.
It was also very successful last season so makes perfect sense, though obviously the vast majority don't agree with that.
I’m not sure you can claim anything was successful last season, particularly in midfield where we’ve been overrun by very average, if not poor, opposition for a long time now
I personally thought he was better in CM last season, but I don't like being shouted at much so I tend not to mention it on here.
Problems with our pressing/ defending as a team, I would say, rather than our midfield being overrun.
And I thought Fernandes was better in centre midfield last season than he has been as an attacking midfielder in all his time here except his first season and a half. He's better there, and one of the stronger midfielders in the league.
Bruno is better for Amorim as a midfielder rather than as one of the 10, but he has been nothing special there. His good form last season lasted less than 2 months. The EL final performance came after a few bad performances from him in the league as a central midfielder. United's results with him playing there are still awful, and he is usually at the centre of it.
His best period of consistent good form over the last 4 seasons came while playing as an attacking midfielder for Ten Hag in the 2nd half of the 23/24 season.
His best period of consistent good form over the last 4 seasons came while playing as an attacking midfielder for Ten Hag in the 2nd half of the 23/24 season.
Just don’t agree whatsoever mate. If we got a proper midfielder, someone who is press resistant and doesn’t constantly lose the ball, someone who can track players and pass well, you’ll notice such a difference
Point being, Bruno might look like he’s doing okay there, but in reality we finished 15th and we need to do a lot better
Would have been 20th without Bruno
Ah now you put it like that, let’s aspire for mid table again
That penalty incident shows all you need to know. Very fragile and weak mentality, and that is supposed to be our leader. No wonder we break so easy
Grimsby Town 2:2 Man Utd
Unless my IPTV is showing mirrored streams, can someone tell him to stop trying ambitious things left foot? Especially when he's got time to take the touch on his right foot
Did this guy complete a single pass when he came on? Terrible stuff.
We turned down £90m for this guy. Never ever forget.
In all honesty he was one of the players that helped change the game.
Still, he’s not a captain. Mentioned it in the matchday thread but he spent a lot of time barking instructions to Mainoo even when the ball was in play. It’s so bizarre watching him sometimes.
From my view watching the game, he was giving it away cheaply time and time again.
Yes. Even though wasn't as bad as the previous game.
He was kinda restricted to long passes because we had 5 forwards on the pitch while he was deep. It was inevitable some would be intercepted or not hit the intended target.
45 out of 53 passes, 85% pass completion.
Thats from the last 365 days, so contains way more games where we haven't been pressing like we did this season. Not sure, if that is good proof that he benefits the most from the pressing then. But be it as it may, I am actually suprised to see his stats looking like that. Still don't think, he should be used in a system that is so intense as the one we seem to want to play.I'm not talking about this season I'm talking about over a year
Casemiro has the highest ball winning stats in the team and one of the highest of any midfielder. Thats why hes playing
Thats, quite a take. Very successful. Guess another case of Bruno being great but the rest so bad that it dragged him down to 15th after all.
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I thought, he was alright today. Haven't seen 1st half (will rewatch since I want to know what Ugarte is doing) but watching Mainoo in 2nd half was actually quite disheartening. The guy seems almost allergic to passing. No wonder Amorim sees no way around Bruno somewhere in the team.
Pretty obvious last year that Bruno had to play deeper because neither Mainoo or Ugarte have anywhere close to the passing range necessary to progress the play.
Seems a lot. It felt like he couldn't find a United player to save his life today
I can understand him wanting out. This team is beneath him. It's on a downward spiral. Everyone can see it. He should take the life raft while it's there.
I think people are so primed by the wasteful Bruno narrative and the building feeling against him that they overreact to every ball he gives away and ignore other offenders.
Did we turn it down, or did he turn down Saudi?
That £700k p/w tax free offer is surely looking a delight
Played as a CB for most of the match when he came on, whose sole purpose was to long ball it forward.
It's different, I'll give it that.
It's different, I'll give it that.