Bruno Fernandes has been the catalyst behind Man United’s revival,
transforming the club from his very first game. Let’s analyze
his game and see what makes him so good. Bruno has an incredibly modern skill-set
and a very wide range of strengths. Strengths – End product
Despite being a midfielder, Bruno has the output of an elite striker. Unlike most players,
he has actually improved his end product after moving from the Portuguese league.
Bruno is the only player to have scored at least 10 goals and made at least 10
assists in each of the last 3 league seasons. An underrated strength is his off-ball movement.
His aggression in attacking spaces without the ball means he’s always in
dangerous positions in the box. Strengths – Build-up passing
Bruno’s ability to progress the ball is among the best in the world, with his vision and technique
helping him execute some very tricky passes. It is arguably the most underrated part of his game too,
considering just how good he is. Bruno has some incredible passing
numbers at club level. More often than not, he drives United forward almost
entirely by himself regardless of opponents. Bruno, along with Kevin De Bruyne, is the best in
the Premier League when it comes to progressing the ball. The two talismanic Manchester
midfielders are different yet so similar, acting as all-action passing hubs in their own ways.
Strengths – Creativity On top of build-up passing, Bruno is
also incredible in the final third. His awareness and ability to spot runners means United are
always threatening, regardless of whether they’re playing on the counter or dominating the ball.
His numbers are predictably excellent, ranking among the very best players
for all creative metrics. With Ronaldo’s arrival, it should improve even further.
Bruno’s arsenal of passes is mind-blowing. His ability to create favourable situations out of
thin air is very unique. Bruno’s passing creates chaos and chaos is exactly where he,
and Man United, thrive. Strengths – Set-pieces
Bruno is also a strong set-piece taker from both sides, with his ability to strike the ball cleanly
helping him find the likes of Maguire with ease. Bruno’s set-pieces have created numerous chances
for Man United, even if they haven’t always been converted. All said and done, this is another
statistical category where he shines. For more in-depth analysis like this,
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Strengths – Penalties Like Jorginho, Bruno has also the mastered
the art of hop-skip-jump penalty technique. His calmness under pressure and the technical ability
to wait until the last second means goalkeepers are always at a disadvantage against him.
Bruno has only missed one league penalty his entire career! Players typically convert penalties
at a rate of 75%, Bruno is at over 95. Strengths – Defensive intensity
Bruno is arguably the humblest superstar in football right now. Most players as good as Bruno
don’t bother with defending as their primary focus is on passing, scoring and assisting. They leave
the hard work to their teammates and conserve their energy for the final third. Not Bruno.
In terms of defensive activity, there is no elite attacking midfielder as good as Bruno.
His defensive graft is almost unseen among world-class players.
Bruno’s defensive work simply cannot be praised enough. He is always there for his teammates
without the ball and often sets the tempo for United’s pressing. Bruno is the perfect mix of
offensive swagger and defensive humility. Strengths – Availability:
Bruno is an iron-man in terms of fitness. In his entire career,
he has only missed one game due to injury! There are a lot of things that make Bruno
remarkable, his willingness to push on is one of them.
Bruno has virtually no weaknesses in his game except for his dribbling
Weaknesses – Dribbling Bruno is not a great dribbler despite
his sharp passing technique and creativity. More often than not, he thinks too fast and
ends up losing the ball. In some cases, his close control is simply not up to the desired level.
The numbers bear out Bruno’s dribbling weakness as well. He does not attempt enough dribbles and when
he does, he’s not very successful. How good is he now?
All said and done, Bruno is one of the 5 or 6 best players in the league
along with the likes of Salah, De Bruyne, Kane and Ronaldo. His incredibly unique skillset
and ability to be effective in different circumstances make him a bona-fide superstar.
Among attacking midfielders, De Bruyne is the only player who is even nearly as good
as Bruno. The two are world-class playmakers who influence their teams in a wide variety of ways.
Bruno’s presence with Ronaldo gives will make an explosive duo.
Ronaldo’s goalscoring and presence in the box, Sancho’s skill, flair and creativity
and Rashford’s all-round excellence makes United a scary team to play against, especially on the
counter. What’s more, there are also Greenwood and Rashford waiting to make an impact off the bench.
With the level of quality around him, don’t be surprised to see the Portuguese maestro
get even better. Summary
Strengths: + Incredible end product*
+ Exceptional progressive passing* + Excellent final ball*
+ Threatening set-pieces* + Impeccable penalties*
+ Amazing defensive intensity* + Iron-man-esque availability
Weaknesses: - Loose dribbling technique
That brings us to the end of this video, a thorough top-to-bottom look of Bruno Fernandes,
one of the world’s best midfielders. Don’t forget to like this video, comment and
subscribe to Football Per 90 for more in-depth analysis like this. Until next time, goodbye.