- 15 hours ago
Bruno Fernandes is being touted as the leading PFA Player of the Year candidate, but is it deserved? Adam Clery breaks down the record breaking numbers that the Portuguese midfielder has been setting this season, as well as one major improvement in his game. With Man United continually improving, could Bruno be the best shout for player of the year? Or should either Declan Rice, Gabriel or Haaland be the best option? Let us know in the comment below!
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00:00Right, hello everybody, welcome to the Adam Cleary Football Channel, and should Bruno Fernandes be Premier League Player of the
00:08Year?
00:09Because right now, everybody's having a very respectful discussion, or something, about that.
00:17To some, he's the greatest creative force in the Premier League, and after single-handedly keeping Man United from doing
00:24a Tottenham,
00:25but to others, he is like a little, ratty, petulant, overrated stat padder, who only basks in the limelight so
00:35often, because all he ever does is seek it out.
00:38So, which is it?
00:43Now just before we start, a reminder that ACFC is brought to you in glorious Technicolor, by our investment pals
00:51at Trading212,
00:52so there'll be an advert up for them a little bit later on, which I worked really hard on, so
00:57be nice about it.
00:58But anyway, right, I'm going to start by saying sorry to anyone who might be in the I hate Bruno
01:04Fernandes club,
01:05because what you are in fact looking at is a simply phenomenal footballer enjoying a landmark season.
01:13Yes, he has his moments on the field where parts of his personality rub people up the wrong way,
01:18he lacks a bit of PR polish for a modern footballer, but purely in terms of his craft, there are
01:24few, if any, currently on his level.
01:28And I'm going to show you two little clips here, right?
01:32They're not goals, they're not assists, we'll get to the sheer gargantuan scale of his numbers in a little bit,
01:38but I just want to see if you can spot the thing he does that no one else does.
01:44So here, against Tottenham, he tries to play a 1-2 with Cunha, but the ball is sort of lost
01:49a bit,
01:50but fear not, Fernandes jumps on it and then plays in Brian Umbermo.
01:55And did you get it? He gets on the ball, he plays in Umbermo, but did you just see the
02:00little thing that he did?
02:02No, alright, okay, it is hard to spot, let's look at another one.
02:06This is against Newcastle, different situation, but same sort of area of the pitch,
02:11number of different options for him, and he somehow finds this pass again into Umbermo.
02:18So what is it that is special about those two clips? Anyone?
02:23Anyone?
02:24Anyone at all?
02:25Anyone?
02:25Alright, sorry, of course, it's a one-way medium, isn't it? I'll tell you.
02:29The biggest criticism of Bruno Fernandes is that every time he gets the ball, he just sticks it in somehow.
02:36Deep cross to a runner, attempted through ball, he actually doesn't read the game very well,
02:41he's just constantly trying to make something happen because, to him, it's all about him.
02:48He's less bothered about Man United winning than he is about being the man who just made something happen, right?
02:56And I'm not saying that's not what he thinks. I'm not a bloody mind reader, am I?
03:01Can any of us ever truly sing the song of another man's heart? No, we cannot.
03:07But what I am saying is if you look at those two clips, then you see that this season,
03:11his composure on the ball, his ability to slow everything down in his head,
03:16has taken him to another level creatively.
03:20He is like Dane Bowers in the 90s, mate.
03:24Now, you go back to both of these clips and he does have immediate and good forward options,
03:30but he doesn't take any of them because he sees the game in a way that very few players do.
03:36Like here, even as the pressure is coming in, he's got two great options.
03:40First, he can just go straight into Mbomo and he'd be wide, sure, but at least he'd be getting him
03:45behind.
03:46And he's also asking for it into this space so you know he's ready to receive it.
03:50But the smart pass, in truth, is actually probably Dorgou,
03:53because if you are going to have to play the ball wide of the goal,
03:56you might as well do it while keeping someone, in this case Mbomo, on the inside of the play.
04:02He can get to the line, he can cross it, maybe even cut back or play in field.
04:06He's got two good options here when he has also got someone up his arse,
04:12so he needs to do something quickly.
04:14But instead, he holds off the contact and he waits.
04:18And he waits as long as he possibly can for this tiny gap to open
04:24and then makes this pass, which is just phenomenal.
04:29Then in the Newcastle game, Cunha's a very good option here.
04:32He can turn and shoot. Shaw's a good option out here.
04:35He can isolate the fullback.
04:36And the easy option is just to stick the ball to the back post
04:40to see if Szczesko can win it in the air.
04:42But again, he waits and he waits and he waits until all of these decent chances
04:48turn into this really good chance.
04:51And then he executes the exact right ball just completely perfectly.
04:57Like, honestly, go back and look at that again,
05:00because how many players can make that pass?
05:05How many players can even see that pass?
05:08Then how many players would wait and wait and resist the temptation
05:12to make any of these other passes to then both see and make that pass?
05:20Because trust me, right, it is f*** all.
05:23And this isn't a new part of his game.
05:25He's always had vision and he's always had patience.
05:28But the level to which he has now taken that while retaining his ability
05:33to still do things first time and quicken the tempo when he needs to do it
05:38has been staggering to watch.
05:41Their equaliser against Liverpool earlier in the season,
05:43you should bring this ball down, get it under control
05:47and put the best, most accurate cross you can into this area.
05:51But instead, he knocks it back in first time,
05:55catching the entire Liverpool defence out.
05:57And even though, like, technically speaking,
06:00that delivery is not in any way good, it's high and looping,
06:04he does it so quick, it catches all the Liverpool defence out
06:08and Harry Maguire scores.
06:09Then this is against Villa.
06:10You should get this under control, see what happens.
06:13But instead, he just goes into the space first time
06:16and Kunja gets in to score.
06:18And honestly, all we're talking about here is decision making.
06:23Like, it sounds really simple,
06:25but it's the hardest thing to do consistently right in football.
06:29Like, the decision to hang on a second here
06:32even though someone's got their arm in your neck
06:35and the decision to not wait here
06:37even though common sense says definitely that you should.
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08:02And isn't that nice?
08:03Anyway, back to the video.
08:05And this, like,
08:07generational run of decisions,
08:10and yes, of course,
08:11I should say,
08:12the execution
08:13of said decisions,
08:15I'm not that much of a nerd,
08:16he is obviously still
08:17balling out,
08:19gives us,
08:20this,
08:21his FopMob page
08:22for this season,
08:24where he has maxed out
08:26the creativity metrics
08:28in the Premier League.
08:29Number one in the division
08:30for assists
08:31with 16 this season,
08:34twice as many
08:34as any other player.
08:36Twice as many.
08:38I just want to say that again,
08:40right,
08:40not loads more,
08:41not, like,
08:42slightly higher,
08:43twice as many.
08:44You cannot go and get
08:45two players
08:47in the Premier League
08:48this season,
08:49add their assists together,
08:50and it'd be more than his.
08:53Like,
08:53that is nuts.
08:54And that is because
08:55the number of chances
08:57he has created,
08:58both in open play
09:00and set pieces,
09:01because apparently
09:02that's an important distinction
09:03to everybody now,
09:05is
09:07untouchable.
09:0898 chances total,
09:103.76 per 90,
09:12and 24 big chances total,
09:15or 0.92 per 90,
09:17are unequalled
09:19by any other player
09:20in this division.
09:22And I really
09:22did want to make
09:23our own version of this,
09:25but it is 18 degrees outside,
09:27and both
09:28me and Archie
09:29did have
09:30one beer for lunch,
09:31so we're just going to steal
09:33Skies.
09:34You remember this from Monday night.
09:35Total number of chances
09:36created up this side here,
09:38and just the open play chances
09:41up this side here,
09:42because again,
09:43some people think
09:44that's a very important distinction.
09:46I don't.
09:47And just to further rip off
09:49Dave Jones' par,
09:50right,
09:50this is Rice,
09:51Sob is Lie,
09:52and Stack,
09:53players who take
09:53a lot of set pieces,
09:55maybe do a little bit
09:56less work
09:57in open play,
09:58and this
09:59is Florian Wirtz
10:00and Saka,
10:01players who do a lot
10:02in open play,
10:03but don't take
10:04as many set pieces.
10:06And this,
10:07this guy here,
10:08this little dot,
10:10that's Bruno Fernandes.
10:12And they didn't say this
10:13on telly,
10:14so I'm going to say it
10:14to you now,
10:15right,
10:15normally when you see
10:16a graph this dramatic,
10:18they play around
10:19with the axes,
10:20don't they,
10:21to make it more
10:22impressive than it actually is.
10:24But these,
10:24these all start at zero
10:26and go all the way
10:28to the top.
10:29This is not,
10:29like,
10:30made to look more clever
10:31than it is.
10:32That is exactly
10:33how that data looks.
10:35And however you want
10:36to slice it,
10:37however you value
10:37chance creation,
10:38Bruno Fernandes,
10:39this season,
10:40is in a league
10:42of his own.
10:42There is Bruno Fernandes,
10:45and then there is
10:46everyone else.
10:47And just,
10:48you know,
10:48casually,
10:49if you were looking
10:49at all that
10:50ThoughtMob data before
10:51and you thought,
10:51wow,
10:52looks slick,
10:53I bet their mobile app
10:54is really good,
10:55then it is.
10:56It's got all the
10:57individual player stats,
10:58team stats,
10:59heatmaps,
10:59fixtures,
11:00results,
11:00everything you would want
11:01in your pocket.
11:03I normally pull it out,
11:04but I've left it
11:04on my desk.
11:05I have it.
11:06It's a great app.
11:06We love them here.
11:07They also sponsor the channel,
11:08so download it
11:09from the link below.
11:11Shilling ends.
11:12But anyway,
11:12back to the data,
11:13and these are all
11:14the chances
11:15he has created
11:16in the Premier League,
11:17all the ones
11:18from that graph,
11:19right,
11:20overlaid on a pitch.
11:22Thank you,
11:23Opta.
11:23And I think the most
11:24interesting thing about it,
11:26for me,
11:26is the variety.
11:28Now we're told,
11:29aren't we,
11:29no matter where
11:29Fernandes starts on the pitch,
11:31this would be the 10,
11:32for example,
11:32that he likes to float
11:33into this left-hand
11:35half space here.
11:36It's where he does
11:37his best work.
11:37But I would argue
11:38that a higher number
11:40of these chances
11:41both start and finish
11:42in this right-hand
11:44half space.
11:45So clearly,
11:46teams are trying to stop him
11:47doing that
11:48because that's what
11:48he wants to do,
11:49so he's just doing that
11:50instead.
11:52That's pretty good.
11:53Of all the corners as well,
11:54excuse me,
11:55Teddy Sheringham,
11:56you can see
11:57there is literally
11:57only one
11:58from this right-hand side
12:00and absolutely dozens
12:02from the left,
12:03which is another way
12:04of representing the fact
12:05that in-swinging corners,
12:07swinging,
12:07that's a word,
12:08are far more effective
12:09than out-swinging corners.
12:12Funny that.
12:13There's only one beer,
12:14promise.
12:15But anyway,
12:15right,
12:16this all here
12:17and the big graph
12:18from before,
12:18that's mad,
12:19isn't it?
12:20It's insanely impressive.
12:21But why does any of that
12:23actually mean
12:24that he should be
12:25Premier League
12:26Player of the Year?
12:27Well, the last time
12:28two creators won it,
12:30De Bruyne in 2022
12:31and Foden in 2024,
12:33they were creating
12:34a goal or an assist
12:35every 93 minutes
12:37for De Bruyne
12:38and 106 minutes
12:39for Foden.
12:40And Fernandes
12:41currently sits
12:42right between
12:43those numbers.
12:45He's creating
12:45a goal or an assist
12:47every 102 minutes
12:50with eight games
12:51to play.
12:52So conceivably,
12:53possibly,
12:54he could even
12:55do better
12:56than both of them.
12:57And incidentally,
12:58purely on assists,
13:00he now has
13:01as many
13:02as
13:03De Bruyne
13:04in 2022
13:05and Foden
13:06in 2024
13:08combined.
13:09He's almost certainly
13:10not going to catch
13:11the goal tallies,
13:12but one or two more
13:13and he won't be
13:14a million miles
13:15off there either.
13:16So what we can
13:17establish there
13:18is that what he is
13:19currently doing
13:19is certainly
13:21within the bracket
13:22required to be
13:23considered
13:23good enough
13:24to be
13:25a player
13:26of the year.
13:27But of course,
13:27that's only
13:28from a creativity
13:30standpoint,
13:31is it?
13:31It's only an
13:31attacking metric
13:33and sometimes
13:34it's not about that.
13:35In the last 20 years,
13:36Virich,
13:37Kante,
13:37Van Dijk,
13:38Diaz,
13:38company,
13:39defensive players
13:40have won it
13:41over forwards
13:42or attackers.
13:43But the point
13:44I want to make
13:45here, right,
13:46is that no matter
13:47what criteria
13:48it is
13:49that you
13:50want to look at
13:51for this conversation,
13:52no player
13:54in this league
13:55is as far away
13:56from his peers
13:58as Bruno Fernandes
14:00is in terms
14:01of chance creation.
14:02Gabriel has been
14:03unreal in defence
14:04for Arsenal
14:05but there's no
14:06individual metric
14:07you could dream up
14:09where he would be
14:10here and all the
14:11other centre-backs
14:12would be in a puddle
14:13down here.
14:14Erling Haaland
14:15is still
14:16the Premier League's
14:17top scorer
14:17but he is only
14:19three goals ahead
14:20of Igor Tudor.
14:21He has not blown
14:22the rest of the
14:23division away
14:24with his goal-scoring
14:26prowess.
14:27And even
14:27Declan Rice,
14:28he's been brilliant.
14:29He's probably the
14:30league's best
14:31all-rounder
14:31but wherever
14:32Arsenal end up
14:34finishing this
14:35season,
14:36even if it's
14:36first,
14:38is he the
14:39player you'd say
14:40is most
14:41responsible
14:41for that
14:42happening?
14:43Like,
14:44he's definitely
14:44one of them
14:45certainly
14:46but this is
14:46an individual
14:47award
14:48and Arsenal's
14:49success
14:50does not feel
14:51individually led.
14:53But Bruno Fernandes
14:54has done
14:55this
14:56and no
14:56other midfielder
14:58could get
14:58anywhere near it.
15:00And he's done it
15:01under Ruben Amirim
15:02having to sit
15:03in a very deep
15:04midfield role
15:05trying to orchestrate
15:06things outside
15:07the final third
15:08and occasionally
15:08in a more limited
15:10advanced role
15:11playing in a team
15:11that did not
15:12commit
15:13any numbers forward.
15:14In fact,
15:15he's only played
15:16as a proper
15:17number 10
15:18for 10
15:19games.
15:21Like,
15:21he was sat
15:21deep hoping
15:23that Ugarte
15:23or Dalo
15:24would make
15:24a nice run
15:25for him
15:26not even
15:27four months
15:27ago.
15:28And yet,
15:29even before
15:30the Manchester
15:31United
15:31managerial change,
15:32would you
15:33like to guess
15:35who was top
15:35of the Premier
15:36League
15:37for both
15:37the number
15:38of assists
15:39and the number
15:40of chances
15:41created?
15:42It was
15:43Bruno Fernandes.
15:44In fact,
15:45he's made
15:45something like
15:4650 more
15:47chances
15:48since they
15:49binned
15:50Ruben Amorim
15:50and even
15:51just that
15:52on its own,
15:53right,
15:54would be
15:55here
15:56on this
15:57graph.
15:58Bruno Fernandes
15:59is the number
16:00one chance
16:01creator
16:01in the Premier
16:03League this
16:03season.
16:04But you know
16:04who's number
16:05two?
16:06Literally
16:07just Bruno
16:08Fernandes
16:09since the
16:107th of
16:11January.
16:12Give him
16:13the award
16:14stop
16:15being weird
16:16about it.
16:16And yes,
16:17that is
16:17absolutely
16:18all I will
16:18be saying
16:19on the
16:19matter,
16:19but please
16:19let me
16:20know
16:20whether
16:20or not
16:20you
16:21think
16:21Bruno
16:21Fernandes
16:22should be
16:22getting the
16:23Premier League
16:23Player of the
16:23Year award
16:24in the comments
16:25below,
16:26or,
16:26more fun than
16:27that,
16:27why people
16:28are jumping
16:29through hoops
16:30and bending
16:30over backwards
16:31to try and
16:31pretend like
16:32he shouldn't
16:33be getting
16:34that.
16:34Like,
16:35I'm not even
16:35a Man United
16:36fan.
16:37It does bring
16:37me a small
16:37amount of joy
16:38when things
16:39go wrong for
16:39them,
16:39but they've
16:40been brilliant
16:41and so has
16:42he,
16:42so give
16:43him the
16:44trinket.
16:44You can get
16:45me across
16:45all the
16:46social medias
16:46at Adam
16:47Cleary,
16:47C-L-E-R-Y,
16:48and you can
16:49subscribe to
16:50us here at
16:50the Adam
16:50Cleary
16:51Football
16:51Channel,
16:51because,
16:52why not?
16:53I've got
16:53targets to
16:54hit,
16:54what are
16:55you waiting
16:55for?
16:56And you
16:56can get
16:56both
16:56Trading
16:572-on-2
16:57and
16:58FOTMob
16:58from the
16:59links in
16:59the
16:59description
17:00below.
17:00They're
17:00both
17:01excellent
17:01and very
17:02good for
17:02very different
17:03reasons.
17:03I would
17:04not advertise
17:05them if I
17:05wasn't using
17:06them myself
17:06and quite
17:07liking them.
17:08Until next
17:09time though,
17:09there is my
17:10pitch for
17:10Premier League
17:11Player of
17:12the Year.
17:13Like,
17:14that matters
17:14in any way,
17:15shape or form,
17:16and I'll
17:17see you later.
17:18International
17:19break now,
17:19innit?
17:20After the
17:20Carabao Cup
17:21final.
17:22Maybe I'll
17:22have a
17:22holiday.
17:23Goodbye.
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