Gary Neville recently spoke on The Overlap podcast about Bruno Fernandes having a free role at Manchester United this season, and how that free role was costing the team in several games.
That may have been true in recent seasons with Bruno having the license to do whatever he pleased at the top end of the pitch, but this season is a lot different.
Fernandes this season is usually the second-deepest midfielder out of the trio. For large portions of the campaign, the furthest midfielder has been Scott McTominay, with Bruno either sitting deep beside Kobbie Mainoo or Casemiro, as we saw against Newport County.
Many may feel this is unusual and that the decision to do so doesn’t have a basis or reason, but when you listen to Erik ten Hag speak (via Manchester Evening News) about how he wants his side to play this season, it becomes quite evident.
“We really looked into the history of Manchester United and we really looked also into the qualities of our players. And then you can say, so what do we want to be? That is, we want to be the best transition team in the world. We want to surprise.”
The Dutch manager has always changed his philosophy to fit the clubs he joins. Many have a view of Ten Hag being a possession-based manager due to his time at Ajax, but people close to the Dutch club will say there were reservations about hiring him due to his transitional-based style. He changes his tactics to suit the DNA of the club he joins, and Manchester United’s DNA has always been to be a transitional side.
Ten Hag went on record saying: “Never. We will never play that football. Because those were different players.”
Looking back into United folklore, the greatest goals the club have ever scored have come from counter-attacks. Ronaldo against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final. Rooney against Arsenal in the Premier League. Counter-attacks and transitions are embedded in the DNA of the club, and Erik ten Hag is mindful of that, hence why Fernandes plays deep.
The Portuguese midfielder is the best passer of a ball in the United side, and can singlehandedly cause counter-attacks due to his ability on the ball. This was evident on numerous occasions yesterday when his first thought when picking up the ball inside his half was to play it the first time over the top to the onrushing wingers in Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.
The Downside
Having Fernandes in those areas and doing those types of passes does not allow a team to control a game. Taking risks in those areas doesn’t allow the team to build up the pitch, and the failure to control possession allows teams to pin Manchester United back more often than not. Erik ten Hag’s side of course always have the outlet over the top, especially with Marcus Rashford in the side, but teams are aware once they nullify that threat, the Red’s don’t have much else going for them,
Fernandes is not a deep midfielder. His defensive awareness is not great despite his unwavering work ethic, and he is not a ball-retentive midfielder. His best asset is his final ball in the final third, but he can’t play them balls if he’s never allowed to play in the final third.
The decision to play Kobbie Mainoo further forward despite him playing as a six for the majority of the campaign is perhaps the most baffling of Erik ten Hag’s decisions so far. Many felt Mainoo would slot in alongside Casemiro and finally allow Fernandes to flourish further forward again, but that wasn’t to be the case. The team failed to take control of a game against League Two opposition, further highlighting the fact that this is a structure issue and not a personnel issue.
If United continue to play Fernandes as a deep midfielder they will continue to struggle to control games. Mainoo and Casemiro should be deployed as a two-man pivot in the future, with Fernandes at the base of that. A throwback to his best period in the club, during the Fred and McTominay days under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It was no surprise he broke the Premier League record for most goals in all competitions by a midfielder in a season playing as the furthest forward midfielder.
Failure to return him to that role will result in United continuing to look structurally awful. The personnel is not the issue at United in the midfield, but it’s the maximisation of the strengths and weaknesses of that personnel that is causing the biggest issue. Ten Hag Hag needs to change it soon, or he will find himself following the same path as the five managers who have come before him.
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