Since Lonnick took over as United manager, Bruno Fernandez, who had played as a shadow forward, has stepped closer and closer to the position and once retreated to the position of center forward. In fact, in the past two years, the debate about whether Bruno is the No. 8 player or the No. 10 player has not stopped, so where is the most suitable position for the Portuguese?
B Fee is not the classic No. 10, it is a more modern frontcourt free man
First of all, let's make the point: the best position for B fees is not the number 10 slot. B fees, which are cruising in the No. 10 and No. 8 positions, have the top-not-of-the-line running ability, and the demand for ball rights is not high, constantly receiving the ball through running, and transmitting the football to a reasonable offensive direction. So whether it's sporting in Portugal or at Manchester United, the radius of activity of B fees basically covers the vast area between the midfield and the penalty area.
The running hotspot map of B Fei's career is basically more symmetrical, and the large pull of the edge allows B Fei to have the ability to move on the side
Summarizing the activity hotspot map of B Fee's career, it can be found that B Fee's activity area is quite symmetrical, and the position of the two sides is relatively prominent, which also fully shows that B Fee can cooperate with wing players to seek more offensive opportunities. Therefore, there is no problem with B fee as a forward and midfielder, if B fee is appointed as the right front of Manchester United to organize the attack, it may be able to form an offensive routine of the left side assault and the right side of the road organization. In the 4222 formation once lined up by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba played as left midfielder and B Fee played as right forward.
B Fee's contribution to the offense consists of running non-stop, creating shooting opportunities with a creative pass in a dangerous area, and using long-range shots to seal the throat with a sword, or inserting into the forward area to complete the shot. Due to frequent attempts at creative passing, B Fee's pass success rate is not high.
Although B Fei is diligent in running positions and good at oppression, B Fei's too thin body shape is not conducive to defensive confrontation, and playing in the front waist position is not much pressure for the defense.
And anyone who has watched the first two seasons of Manchester United balls knows that B Fei's strength lies in the front insertion score and the last pass, he is not the kind of classic front waist that can calmly control the ball and change the rhythm of the game, and he needs space in the front court too much. Before Manchester United did not have a reliable striker, he needed a fee to "cross the line", which is actually his strength, so the Portuguese data is good, and the team's record is OK.
Position 8, the helpless choice in the current situation
The withdrawal of Bruno to the No. 8 position is to use his inspiration in the organizational aspects of attack to connect Manchester United's front and backcourt players, and even when Manchester United encounters high pressure, it can be cracked by moving the ball with one foot. However, Bruno's average pass success rate per game this season is 77%, and the average accuracy rate of long passes is only 49%, that is, more than half of Bruno's long passes have not found their own people, which does not help the role of the No. 8 offensive and defensive conversion.
Moreover, the thinness of Bruno's stature directly determines his performance in the No. 8 position.
If B fee appears in the No. 8 position, once the ball is snatched in this area, it is easy to be quickly counterattacked by the opponent, so B fees that are not good at confrontation need to be supported by a strong sweeping back. In these Premier League games, B Fee has always been very clever to use the running position to fight, but only 8 times successfully 3 times. Once in the midfield area, the lack of confrontation will be easily broken by the opponent, and it is an indisputable fact that B Fee is not good at defending.
Isn't there a better option on the 8th spot? Probably.
In Manchester United's Premier League journey, there has never been a shortage of good defenders. Too far to say, just say a little bit about the last excellent back Matic.
In the Van Gaal era, the big circle tactics were built around Carrick, using Carrick's long passing ability to shift horizontally to different styles of offensive combinations on the left and right; Mourinho introduced Nemanja Matic and Pogba in two seasons, Matic dragged back, Pogba forward, using Pogba's over-the-top long pass to hit behind the opponent's defense.
The Manchester United midfielder trio is an irreplaceable combination
Single-core is always unable to handle complex tactical calculation problems, once the back is targeted, the midfielder can not connect with the front players, and the offensive tactics will be self-defeating. Therefore, with Nemanja Matic and Pogba both having the ability to shoot the ball and the ability to control the ball, the double-core Manchester United's ball system began to flow smoothly, and the arrival of B Fee gave Manchester United the ability to have a fatal pass, so the three men of Manchester United formed an irreplaceable attacking combination.
In the case of Nemanja Matic being watched, Nemanja Matic will switch places with Maguire, becoming a right-back to open up the space for the reception and handing over the ball to Maguire. Nemanja Matic will form a pick-up point on the right and contact Bruno, Pogba or Luke Shaw forward after receiving Maguire's pass at any time. Nemanja Matic used to have the nickname "Horse Forward" when he was at Chelsea, which not only indicates Matic's ability to push forward, but also means That Matic's ability to shoot forward.
The period when the three were a perfect match was also the most fluid period of Manchester United's attack.
Now, Pogba, who can better adapt to the No. 8 position, is still recuperating, and even in his health, his attitude on the field is debatable. Fred and Mike Jr. are more than diligent and talented, and if they are in the No. 8 position, they only destroy and not build (Fred can only divide the sides, and his ability to fight is weak), and his help to the entire offensive system is also limited.
In the absence of suitable candidates, Bruno's appointment to the No. 8 position is a helpless choice. If you have the opportunity to take Rice or Ndidi in the summer, you must not be soft.