What was said by Bruno Fernandes?
He was asked if he has had to tweak his style of play. Fernandes responded to the Manchester Evening News, “What do you mean tweak’ my game?
“He (Ten Hag) wants me to do assists anyway, so I have to try it! I don’t understand that type of question of keeping the ball or whatever it is.
“I keep the ball when I think I have to keep it, I try a pass when I think I have to do it, and sometimes it goes good, sometimes wrong. Obviously, when it goes wrong, I know that shouldn’t be the one, but sometimes when you play in the 10 position you have only a few seconds to think and control the ball and make the pass, so it’s not that much time to think.
“I understand of course, that someone has his own opinion, but when I arrived in 2020, I was losing the same amount of balls in those six months, and then the year after, I lost the same amount of balls, but I scored 28 goals, so people don’t complain about that. Now last season, because I scored only 10 because for some people it’s only 10 goals, people start complaining.
“But I’m okay with that; I don’t worry. I do my best, I know I always give my best, and I always try to help my teammates. They know that even when I miss the passes, I’m trying to give something to them, so I’m okay with that.
“Obviously, I will have to do what the coach demands from me, and what he demands from me, I will do because he thinks it’s the best for the team and, for me, the best for the team is the best for me.”
Bruno also spoke about how he has found it quite easy to adapt to Ten Hag’s style of play. The Portuguese said, “It’s been easy because he’s really clear (with) what he wants and what he demands from the players.”
“So we have just to do it and try to do the best we can because, as I said, his ideas are clear, the rules are clear, so we just have to follow that.
“We are following the work the coach is doing with us, we have to follow his ideas, and I think everyone is doing that. The results are there; obviously, still some things to improve, and there will always be something to improve, but I think at the moment, the coaching is exactly what we are doing.
“But we will always have something to improve, and we want to improve too because we know that the season will be much tougher than these matches.”
Will Ten Hag’s system suit Bruno Fernandes?
Since moving to Manchester United, [player 129602] has arguably been the club’s best player. According to darktip.sk, his form has been inconsistent at times. Still, overall, this move has been a good one for the player as well as the club. In two and a half seasons, he scored 40 goals and provided 25 assists. Last season, his numbers weren’t as great, but they were still pretty good, with 10 goals and 6 assists.
For years, [team 14] have lacked a midfielder who can progress the ball and play through the lines. A deep-lying midfielder who can distribute the ball effectively is a key element of most modern teams. Ten Hag’s philosophy requires a midfielder of that genre. As a result, United are keen on bringing [player 26536] to the club.
Fernandes is a brilliant attacking midfielder; more importantly, he is effective in key areas of the pitch. However, one of his major weaknesses is his distribution.
Last season, he struggled to perform well. This was because United lacked a progressive no.6. As a result, he had to drop deeper to get involved in the game. Eventually, he would give the away ball away in dangerous areas.
[coach 456113]’s style of play is focused on ball progression and movement. Ten Hag could use Fernandes similarly to [player 26031] at [team 629]. The Dutch midfielder could also play a pivotal part next season.
Ten Hag’s way of playing in possession could massively suit Fernandes. It could allow him to make offensive runs or pick up awkward positions. For example, between the opposition’s lines, while United will move the ball in the midfield.
Also, a major strength in his game is making darting late runs into the box. Another strength that Ten Hag can utilize by encouraging his players to get the ball out wide.
Overall, Ten Hag’s philosophy could and most likely would suit Bruno Fernandes due to various tactical reasons.
Author: Devashish Akolekar
