Manchester United suffered a 3-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium yesterday.
The Red Devils had a decent first half against the Cityzens, and a moment of brilliance from Jeremy Doku created the opening goal for Phil Foden.
However, the second half performance was lacklustre. There were several defensive errors which contributed to the disappointing 3-0 defeat.
Despite injuries to Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes was picked to play in central midfield rather than in his preferred number 10 role.
He had another difficult outing alongside a new partner in Manuel Ugarte. The £43 million-rated star lost possession on 21 occasions and struggled with his positioning.
Following the 3-0 defeat, former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott said that defending is not one of Fernandes’ strengths and he lacks the defensive awareness.
He told BBC Sport: “It’s hard because defensively it’s not Bruno Fernandes’ strength.
“He doesn’t think danger straight away. That’s where you need a different person who can do that side of it.
“But when you only have one in Ugarte, or whoever it might be. It’s difficult for him.
“It’s been a pattern of a few of the goals that there’s been runners off the back of him, but you would think at some point it would click that its not in his system.
“He’s not a defensive-minded player. He wants to be forward and score goals and effect the game that way.”
Fernandes has started the campaign as a permanent solution in central midfield, given Mount and Bryan Mbeumo have operated in attacking midfield with Cunha upfront.
In the absence of Cunha and Mount, we anticipated Fernandes to play higher up with either Kobbie Mainoo or Manuel Ugarte partnering Casemiro in the centre of the park.
However, manager Ruben Amorim opted against changing Fernandes’ position. Amad Diallo played alongside Mbeumo, while Benjamin Sesko made his full debut upfront.
The decision did not prove worthwhile. Amad did not provide any creativity, while Sesko was a spectator in the number nine role, barring his early shot on target in the game.
Amorim could have easily played Fernandes in the number 10 spot or as a false striker. In our view, the manager is to blame for persisting with the captain in a deeper position.
United host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday. Hopefully, we will see Fernandes playing in a more advanced role as the club desperately need his creative presence.
A defeat to the Blues could lead to big questions over Amorim’s future at the club.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com