Fernandes Gives Brutally Honest Interview as Amorim Tactics questioned
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes did not shy away from responsibility as he fronted the media following his side’s bruising 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester City. The Portuguese playmaker was asked difficult questions about United’s tactical approach at the Etihad Stadium, and his answers painted a clear picture of where he feels the team fell short.
City, as they so often do under Pep Guardiola, asserted their dominance early in the contest. Phil Foden opened the scoring with a free header after being inexplicably left unmarked in the penalty area, a lapse in concentration that set the tone for the afternoon. Things went from bad to worse for United when a misplaced pass from Luke Shaw was pounced upon by Erling Haaland. The Norwegian forward surged from inside United’s half virtually unchallenged before slotting home his second of the game, adding to an earlier header to complete his brace.
It could have been even more humiliating for the visitors. Haaland had already squandered a golden opportunity before his first goal, capitalising on a loose back-pass from Manuel Ugarte that forced centre-back Matthijs de Ligt into a desperate stretch. His mishit clearance fell kindly for Haaland, but the striker fluffed his lines on that occasion.
For Fernandes, it was another frustrating afternoon in which his influence on the attacking end was minimal. Deployed in a deeper role alongside Ugarte, he spent much of the game firefighting rather than orchestrating play, a situation that left United’s attacking threats starved of service.
The result heaps even greater pressure on head coach Ruben Amorim, who remains unable to string together consecutive Premier League victories since taking charge in December. United’s inconsistency has been a recurring theme, and the manner of this defeat will only amplify the questions surrounding his tactical choices.
After the final whistle, Fernandes stepped up, as he often does, to face the media glare. Speaking to Sky Sports’ Patrick Davison, the midfielder acknowledged the gulf between the two sides on the day.
“What we did today was not enough to get the result, and that’s all we have to take from this game,” Fernandes admitted. “We need to score goals and not concede – that’s the main thing in football. We keep creating chances, but we’re not taking them. At the same time, we have to be more in control defensively. The three goals we conceded were all avoidable.”
Davison pressed further, asking whether Fernandes felt City’s plan was to overload United’s midfield. The United skipper offered a detailed tactical response.
“No, because we play with a back five – sometimes it’s a four, sometimes a three, however you want to call it,” Fernandes explained. “What we need is players to be aggressive at the right moments, to step into pressure. If you don’t, the midfield gets outnumbered.
“Look at City: they had Rodri, Tijjani [Reijnders], Bernardo, Foden all coming inside. That makes it almost a midfield four against just two of us. That’s why the defenders behind have to step in – Luke [Shaw] did that well at times. We did the same against Arsenal earlier in the season and stopped them finding space. That’s what you have to do – be brave and make the pitch small against teams that thrive on finding gaps. If you’re not aggressive enough, they’ll punish you, and that’s exactly what happened today.”
Despite the heavy defeat, Fernandes was keen to point out that United did show some positives in possession, even if they ultimately lacked the sharpness in both boxes to compete with their city rivals.
“The result is very bad, and that’s on us,” he conceded. “But there are two ways of looking at it. The goals we conceded were mistakes on our side, but with the ball we were positive, we were brave, and we looked to play forward. We created chances, but we weren’t clean enough when they came. That’s the difference. City got what we wanted – three points.”
Fernandes’ words underline a growing theme at Manchester United: moments of promise undone by costly errors, coupled with a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal. With Ruben Amorim under mounting pressure and results failing to convince, the club captain’s willingness to speak candidly may offer a small measure of accountability – but it does little to mask the wider issues plaguing United as their turbulent season continues.