In the final minutes of the match between Man United and Ipswich Town, the away team stepped up their attack with the hope of finding an equalizer. In that context, Man United were reduced to playing with only 10 men after Patrick Dorgu's red card.
In those moments of survival, Man United fans still saw Bruno Fernandes rush into the opponent to win the ball and support the defense. Only when he had finished breaking the surrounding area for the home team did Bruno temporarily stop to take a deep breath, then take a deep breath and continue to contribute.
Harry Maguire's goal brought Man United 3 points, but don't forget Bruno Fernandes' dedication helped keep that from getting out of hand. After the match, Sofascore gave Maguire the highest score (8.5) and the second person right behind the centre-back, none other than Bruno (8.3).
Speaking about Bruno's dedication, the statistics of this amount have proven that. The Portuguese midfielder, despite his not-so-excellent physique, has won 4/7 duels. The M.U captain also kept rushing when he had 2 perfect tackles to clear the house team's blockade.
That is in terms of defense, but with attacking situations, Bruno still proves why he is an irreplaceable player in the Man United squad. His dangerous free kick forced Ipswich's Sam Morsy to return the ball at home. Bruno's corner kick next caused chaos for De Ligt to comfortably put the ball into the net.
Another corner kick from Bruno early in the second half, as Man United were in danger of collapsing in terms of the game, was taken advantage of by Harry Maguire to score the winning goal.
From Maguire's goal against Leicester in the fourth round of the FA Cup, in the last 6 goals Man United have scored, it all came from one of the set pieces originating from Bruno Fernandes. Similar to the match at Goodison Park, the catalyst Bruno Fernandes and his teammates almost created a comeback. After Ronaldo, Bruno is the first player in 3 years to score from a free kick for Man United.
One of the biggest problems Ruben Amorim has encountered is his stable form. Although the players' performance is not too high, the Portuguese coach needs it at a calculable level. From there, the arrangement of the new playing style and formation can find a suitable formula. Bruno is one of the few at Man United who is currently playing every game.
Since Bruno Fernandes made his Man United debut five years ago, only Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) have had more Premier League assists than the "Red Devils" captain.
Against Ipswich Town, no player passed and pushed the ball forward more than Bruno in the "Red Devils" squad. Bruno ranked 2nd in the list of players who have contributed the most to the game. He is 5th in the table of players with the most defense. This is like painting a panoramic picture, in which Bruno appears everywhere on the pitch.
The only problem for Bruno right now is not his inconsistent form or declining fighting spirit. Ruben Amorim needs to clearly define Bruno's role in the current squad. If the Portuguese star was forced to play as a "number 10", everything would be quite forced. Bruno is a player with a fairly free and natural playing style, exploding with emotion and does not like to be reformed in a fixed role.
"We need to control the ball more in the context of such a shortage of players. This has been done very well, especially after Man United conceded the first goal. In the tactical system that followed, Bruno was the most important person.
Sometimes, we need him to play higher up the pitch, closer to the opponent's goal. However, there were times when I needed Bruno to help the team play" - Ruben Amorim shared.
That is why Amorim arranged Bruno to play in midfield instead of high up the pitch in his last 6 games before the trip to Goodison Park. Having to run from head to head of the pitch could make it difficult for Bruno to control the ball and look at the situation. However, if Bruno is about to play near the opponent's penalty area, he will still proactively retreat in many cases to support the defense.
"He's really good at getting the ball in his feet in any context. Obviously, Man United need to create more opportunities, thereby scoring more goals. This is a huge problem that needs to be solved" - Amorim shared.
