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Was a win that gave Manchester United their first home win of the season but another that offered more questions than answers. Principle between them: where the hell would Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be without Bruno Fernandes?
It is almost certain that tonight he would not have been in the shelter of the house. Many still doubt the coach’s credentials, and this grim victory offered little evidence to support Solskjaer’s case.
This was not the first charmless display on Solskjaer’s watch. Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho were ridiculed for similar performances. For all three coaches, the common denominator remains many of the players on the field again tonight. The difference between Solskajer’s side and that of his predecessors is the presence of Fernandes.
The Portuguese playmaker, and perhaps Marcus Rashford when he’s not working like he did against the winless Baggies, remain the only redeeming characteristics of this United team.
Fernandes is not perfect. He had the lowest passing accuracy among local players and it was that perceived flaw that supposedly gave United a chance to sign him in the first place. Several suitors reportedly walked away from Fernandes due to the regularity with which he gives the ball away; United itself stayed away in the summer of 2019 because of that. It was only when they had no other choice and Solskjaer had nothing left to lose in January that they took advantage of a clear run against the Portuguese star.
Fernandes was guilty of giving the ball away again tonight. Nearly a quarter of his passes were deflected, but without his willingness to seek the forward pass, United would be even harder to see than it already is. He is the only driving force, the only persistent threat to any United opponent.
The 26-year-old has played 34 times since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in late January and his penalty twice was the 32nd goal in which he played a direct role. In the same time frame, Rashford is United’s second-largest contributor after having participated in 17 goals. This season United have yet to score a Premier League goal that does not involve Fernandes or Rashford.
Fernandes on scoring 50% (7/14) of his PL goals for #MUFC from the penalty spot: “People criticize this situation by saying ‘penalties, penalties’.
“I’ve seen many teams lose finals (World Cup, Euros, Champions League) on penalties, it’s an important part of the game.”– Shamoon Hafez (@ShamoonHafez) November 21, 2020
Fernandes stands out a mile on most metrics as he does on the intangibles that go into any performance. United’s No. 18 is perhaps the first player after Sir Alex Ferguson, certainly the first recruit not named Zlatan, willing to at least try to bring his teammates up to his level, even if it is a losing battle. Many of the Solskjaer players will take the first hideout available to them when the going gets tough, but Fernandes, time and time again, has been inspired when anti-aircraft fire starts to fly. Luckily for those currently unable to make it from Stretford End, Fernandes is also willing to dish it out when standards slip, as they often do.
Against West Brom, Fernandes came close to matching Paul Pogba for penalties conceded, but was rescued by VAR, and David Coote ultimately judged that the United star made enough contact with the ball while knocking down Conor Gallagher. It was a clumsy tackle, perhaps as sloppy as Pogba’s concessions against Spurs and Arsenal. But, unlike Pogba, Fernandes is willing to do the dirty work and since no teammate has made more tackles this season, as has his passing, sometimes the other has a different outcome than expected.
It may not be difficult to stand out on Solskjaer’s team. Too often in recent years, just being seen to give a shit has been accepted as input enough, especially when many players seem to struggle with even that bare minimum. The costumes don’t seem to be short on effort and desire, and Solskjaer can be credited for that, but quality and character are undeniably lacking. Without Fernandes, it is unthinkable to imagine the worst United could be.
Ian Watson
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