- 8 hours ago
Bruno Fernandes is dominating the Premier League, but why? This video provides a detailed tactical analysis of his game, comparing his role under Rúben Amorim to his current freedom under Michael Carrick and exploring the stats that prove his creative supremacy.
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00:00Bruno Fernandes has just wrapped up yet another double goal contribution game week.
00:04He is the most informed player in the league.
00:06But why?
00:07Today I'll be exploring how Carrick's system got back to his best, his unstoppable final
00:12third threat and most importantly, why these Bruno Fernandes performances shouldn't actually
00:17come as a surprise.
00:19I'm Jacob Horsfall, 442's resident tactician and this is how Bruno Fernandes became the
00:23best player in the Premier League.
00:28To get to the genius of this 2025-26 version of Bruno Fernandes, we first got to have a
00:34little bit of context.
00:35Manchester United over the past few years have been a club constantly in transition with nothing
00:40clicking.
00:40They had all this incredible talent but it just wasn't working.
00:43You had genuine star quality in people like Bruno Fernandes and you had the potential there
00:47in players like Kobi Mayanou and Benjamin Sesko.
00:50But there was this feeling, especially under Ruben Amaran, that this team was just never
00:53going to work.
00:54The attacks were never going to be threatening.
00:55They were never going to be reliable in the final third or in possession.
00:59Under the Portuguese Gaffard, Bruno was in a midfield too, receiving the ball from the
01:03centre backs and strictly operating in these sort of areas of the pitch.
01:07This meant he was regularly in possession, taking 81 touches per 90 and completing 59 passes
01:12per 90.
01:13He'd regularly get on the ball with his back to pressure, drawn opponents in.
01:16He could either then play a safe backwards pass or attempt to transform United stable possession
01:21into a serious attack with a pass that Bruno loves to do with something very progressive,
01:26an outrageous ball basically.
01:28However, as great as it is him having lots of the ball and taking loads of touches, do
01:32you really want him taking lots of touches?
01:34Or do you want Bruno Fernandes taking valuable touches?
01:37This is Bruno's passers receive network under Ruben Amaran.
01:40He's operating well, well behind the attacking front line, which means he's very rarely involved
01:45with that attacking front line.
01:47Which, let's be honest, is a bit of an interesting way to profile the best number 10 in world
01:51football and that's exactly what he is, which is why Carrick changed it instantly.
01:56Instead of Bruno operating in a two, Carrick moved him straight back into that number 10
02:00position with the autonomy to float freely across the pitch.
02:03Under Carrick, there's been a 51.6% increase in the chances created by Bruno Fernandes,
02:08even though he's taken seven less touches per 90 than he was under Ruben Amaran.
02:12But the key is, the touches he's taken are in dangerous areas, in areas in the opposition's
02:16half where he can cause damage and slip players through on goal.
02:19Personally, I would rather Bruno Fernandes be taking minimal touches but making them valuable touches,
02:24because that's all he needs, about five or six valuable touches and he can cause damage.
02:29But, Bruno isn't just a number 10, not in Michael Carrick's player profiling of him,
02:34and also, not in Bruno's nature.
02:36Diogo Delo inverts centrally here, which allows Bruno Fernandes to drift a little bit wider
02:40and even a little bit deeper to get on the ball and then supply a magical cross into the box.
02:45And that's the goal, other players moving around to get Bruno Fernandes in space, in dangerous areas,
02:50where he can do things.
02:51Which has been apparent all season.
02:53Three of Cesco's last six goals have been assisted by a Bruno Fernandes cross.
02:58I mean, a pretty large centre-forward with one of the best playmakers in world football.
03:04I mean, it's probably going to result in goals, isn't it?
03:06However, people seem to use this as a way to actually criticise Bruno Fernandes.
03:10They use his crushing as a way to almost knock down and put him down a peg for his playmaking.
03:15I mean, nine of his assists have come from set pieces this season.
03:18So, you may be thinking, well, yes, he is a creative threat, but he's someone who relies on heavily favourable
03:23situations.
03:24Ones in which United already have the box rammed with players and he has multiple targets to actually fire the
03:29ball at.
03:29Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you that you would be wrong.
03:33Exhibit A, this graphic from Monday Night Football, which shows Bruno Fernandes as the greatest chance creator in the Premier
03:40League.
03:40He has created 40 more chances this season than the second best in Declan Rice.
03:45Exhibit B, he sits top of the league for expected assists, well above Ryan Shirky in second.
03:51Exhibit C, no player has more key passes per 90 or more assists via through balls than Bruno Fernandes does
03:58this season.
03:59So, he isn't just relying on set pieces, is he? No, he's doing it in every single type of scenario
04:05you could possibly imagine.
04:07Bruno is just a creative freak who spent the large majority of this season playing in zones that you'd associate
04:12with a number six,
04:12which is probably why his assists do directly correlate with set pieces.
04:17When your pass map under Ruben Amirim shows you playing into the final third from the halfway line,
04:21into the final third even from your own half,
04:23is it really a surprise that yes, you are creating your best chances from set piece scenarios when you can
04:29be in the final third?
04:31No, I don't think it is.
04:32But, that's no longer a worry.
04:34His post-Amirim pass map, as mental as that sounds, shows a much healthier picture.
04:40He's rarely even playing any passes in the first third of the pitch,
04:43and instead we see him playing almost all of his passes in each part of the opposition's half,
04:48whether it's their box, on the halfway line in their half, or in the wide areas.
04:53He's no longer slumming it out in the first phase,
04:55he's now given the freedom and autonomy to operate in all three thirds of the pitch,
04:59which means we get Bruno Fernandes at his very best.
05:03Now, there is something that does leave me a little bit puzzled with Bruno,
05:06and that's people being surprised that he is playing this well this season.
05:10Like, he's been world class for a lot longer than the last three months of football.
05:14In Bruno's last five seasons, he's hit double digit assists in every single one of them.
05:19The only knock that you could have in Bruno was that he was high risk,
05:22someone who would give the ball away often because he was trying things.
05:25But what critics didn't understand, and what Carrick's really encouraged from Bruno Fernandes,
05:29is that, well, you have to play those high risk passes to actually cause damage,
05:34to actually be effective as a main creator in a team.
05:37When United come up against these organised low blocks,
05:39you can't just pass sideways and hope eventually a gap magically opens.
05:43You need a player who will try the impossible pass.
05:45You can fire a ball through a sea of bodies.
05:47The man who sees the pass that no one else sees.
05:50Which is exactly what Bruno Fernandes does for United.
05:54When a player is UCI looking at a RAM box, you wouldn't be annoyed at them
05:58if they decide to play backwards or even take a touch and just recycle play.
06:02But no, Bruno Fernandes sees three players at the back post,
06:04who have an overload on that back post on the Liverpool players,
06:07and then pings a perfect ball in into that area,
06:11which gives United the maximum opportunity to score a goal.
06:14I struggle to see any other player in the current Premier League even seeing that pass,
06:19never mind being able to execute it.
06:21Burnley have six players protecting their box,
06:23but we also have Bruno Fernandes in the half space,
06:26where he's back to the opposition's goal.
06:28He then receives the ball, opens up his body instantly,
06:31which drags two Burnley defenders towards him,
06:33but then he takes his next touch,
06:35and that next touch is a pass in behind to Benjamin Sesko.
06:39Because he plays it so quickly,
06:40the Burnley defenders can't actually get anywhere near him.
06:43The bravery he's shown in possession at Manchester United over the years that he's been there
06:47is exactly what makes him world-class.
06:49The sheer volume of incredible chances that he creates is just ridiculous.
06:55Since his debut, no player has created more chances in the Premier League than Bruno Fernandes.
07:00Even Kevin De Bruyne is miles away from him.
07:03And Kevin De Bruyne rightfully is regarded as one of the best creative minds on a pitch in modern football
07:08history.
07:08So why can't Bruno be considered in the same way?
07:12The record-breaking numbers may be the headline for Bruno Fernandes,
07:15but the real story is line-splitting passes, balls into the box that no one can handle,
07:21and every moment of leadership, of a fist pump on the pitch,
07:24that gets this United team rallied and going again.
07:27For years, people have asked who is the best player in the Premier League?
07:31Was it Declan Rice? Is it Gabriel? Is it Erling Haaland?
07:35Well, this season, for me, it's Bruno Fernandes.
07:38So, do you agree? Is Bruno Fernandes the best that the Premier League has to offer?
07:41I want to know what you guys think, so let me know down in the comments.
07:45And if you want to see more deep dives into your favourite players, your favourite systems,
07:48and just general football greatness, then leave a subscribe, drop a like.
07:53We'll be here again next week for another episode with 442.
07:58And, again, I'll see you all next week.
08:01See you in a bit.
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