Welcome to The Debrief. In his Sky Sports column, Adam Bate combines data and opinion to examine the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. this week:
Fernandes’ creativity Florentino’s tackle Newcastle’s struggles
The key to Fernandes’ creativity at Manchester United
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Watch for free: Manchester United vs Manchester City highlights
Manchester United’s thrilling performance in Saturday’s derby win against Manchester City has understandably sparked talk of their return, a comeback of sorts following the departure of Ruben Amorim. That remains to be seen, but it seems more obvious for Bruno Fernandes.
He returned to his best position and regained the number 10 role, and he produced some consistent performances at Old Trafford. He was denied a goal and an assist due to an offside flag in the first half, but he ended up creating history by scoring the opener against Pep Guardiola’s City side.
Bruno Fernandes created a chance for Manchester United in the win over Manchester City
In the 10 years he has been in charge, no player has created more than four big chances against them in the Premier League. In fact, Fernandes is the only player to do that against any team this season. And he’s done it twice, again against Wolves last month.
Fernandes has been responsible for three of the four big chances created by a player in Premier League games over the past three seasons, and while he is sometimes cited as part of the problem, he is certainly a reminder that he is one of the victims of United’s slump.
His performance against City took him to 600 chances in his Premier League career. This is 168 more than the next player on the list, Kevin De Bruyne, since Fernandes’ debut in the competition. It’s surprising, although often overwhelming in its aspects.
These figures also show that he was not completely oppressed under Amorim. In fact, they are at the top of the league in terms of chances created this season as well. Still, it would make sense to move Fernandes closer to the opponent’s goal, allowing him to do more damage from open play.
Bruno Fernandes was often asked to play deeper under Ruben Amorim to suit his system
A heat map of his Premier League career with United shows he did more work in his own half under Amorim, but his preferred formation does not have a natural role as a true number 10. Michael Carrick must now be tempted to take him out of it.
Because he can still make a difference. United’s owners will have to make their calculations, taking into account Fernandes’ age and the possibility of an offer from Saudi Arabia. However, Champions League funds should also be taken into consideration. And this Fernandes can make it happen.
Florentino’s tackle at Liverpool
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League draw between Liverpool and Burnley
Florentino’s performance in Burnley’s surprise 1-1 draw against Liverpool did not display the same level of creativity, but his attempt to shut out the reigning Premier League champions at Anfield deserves huge praise. The midfielder made nine tackles.
This is the fifth time this season that a player has made nine tackles in a Premier League game, with Florentino responsible for two of those tackles, with a similar tackle against West Ham in November. This was probably his best game in a Burnley shirt.
It wasn’t perfect. He gave away a penalty that Dominik Szoboszlai missed. And some fans are a little frustrated with his lack of care in possession. However, his combative qualities made him ideally suited to this particular challenge against Arne Slott’s team.
This is what Scott Parker wanted when he signed Florentino on loan from Benfica at the end of the summer transfer window. Burnley need more goals to pull themselves out of trouble, but they are still eight points out of safety in the Premier League table.
Newcastle’s creativity concerns
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Watch for free: Premier League Wolves vs Newcastle highlights
Perhaps Newcastle’s goalless draw with Wolves shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering they started the season with three stalemates in their first three away Premier League games. But that’s just one example of how they lack the cutting edge.
Newcastle’s zonal action in the goalless draw with Wolves
Eddie Howe’s side have failed to score in three of their last four away games. In fact, their only two Premier League wins on the road came after taking the lead within two minutes. They often struggle when given the responsibility of bringing down a team.
Nick Woltemade has become something of a scapegoat, having not scored in the last seven games. But Newcastle’s creativity problems run deeper. They are too passive on offense against a team that is at its best when it shows true intensity in its play.
In fact, Molineux became the team with the highest passing accuracy without a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League match since Opta began collecting such records. The wolf fell deep. All Newcastle could do was cross the ball.
Where was the movement inside, the movement around Waltemade? Wolves were happy to let Newcastle have the ball wide. A cute play in the half-spaces could have given us more chances. Without that, Howe’s team can seem a little one-dimensional.
