In today’s episode, we are taking a look at one of the bad boys within today’s game (and I’m saying that in a good way). Bruno Fernandes is one of my favourite players to watch as his tenacity and never say die attitude is what I appreciate from players like him who literally leave everything on the pitch whenever they are playing. Bruno has been touted for greatness for a very long time and only made a move to a big league at age 26 but it was very clear to see that he was made for the best leagues in Europe as he hit the ground running within England and hasn’t looked back ever since.
PLAYER BIO
Standing at 5’9″ and weighing 152lbs, Bruno Fernanades is a player who gives his all in every game that he plays and quite frankly someone that you would always want on your side especially in those big matches
SM23 ATTRIBUTES
If there’s one thing that bugs me is when a player within SM23 has some ridiculous attribute that makes no sense (Like Zouma having a Corner attribute of 78 🤦♂️). It seems as if a similar situation is here for Bruno’s attributes since he has the ‘Marking’ attribute of what would be considered a very good Defender (sometimes, I wonder how stuff like this happens)…. On the other hand, Bruno’s physical attributes have been undoubeltly left uncompleted which is potentially due to the fact that he is an AM(C), so they tend not to be the most physically gifted players, but Bruno doesn’t fit that stereotype at all! He is a player who is extremeley hard working off the ball, loves getting stuck in and has an incredible engine which is one of the reasons why he is being considered for the Captaincy at United instead of Maguire because he epitomizes the term “leading by example”
BEST ROLES
As we will learn in this episode, Bruno is not your average ‘Floating Advanced Playmaker’. He can do most things expected from this type of player but stands out on his own when it comes to his playing traitsBruno is a very hard working player which means that he is more than capable of playing in deeper positions (albeit he has a very high drive for getting into the attacking third), but there will be some adjustments needed if you choose to play him hereThe newest position for Bruno has been his capability of playing off the right in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 (which proves my point even more about his hardworking characteristic) but he is in no way your typical wide player, so teammate adjustments will be needed Getting Bruno in these central positions as far away from your goal as possible should be seriously considered since you’ll be giving one of the most deadliest creative players in the world more freedom to showcase his creative prowess
WHAT IS HIS BEST ROLE
What it all boils down to is Bruno Fernandes is a character of a player that believes he should be given the spotlight and be the main man (he’s one of those players with a very big ego that needs special attention). Therefore, playing him in any formation that grants him the opportunity of playing in the no.10 position will be the best way to utilize his world class skills. In terms of using Bruno, I mentioned that he is not your usual ‘Advanced Playamaker’ as he almost never wants to be used as the playmaker for any team since it could stifle his natural tendency to roam and go wherever he wants.
WHO ARE HIS BEST TEAMMATES
When it comes to getting Bruno playing on smoke, there are 2 non negotiable teammates: A ‘Ball Winning Midfielder’/ a defensive nuanced ‘Deep lying Playmaker’ and a ‘Target Man’. The reason why a ‘BWM’ is needed is down to the fact that Bruno is extremeley offensive and his ego tends to cause him to jump out of position to make runs into the box without thinking about what could happen if the possession is lost (which is fine since without this he wouldn’t have become such a great player). That is why a player who can mop up any counter attacking threat from the opposition is needed and why Casemiro is currently a United player; Since Bruno loves to attack the box, he will need a player who will pull defenders near them to open up space for him to get into (Bruno’s best spells at United occurred when Lukaku, Weghorst or Cavani was upfront); Let’s not forget that he is still one of the best though ball passers in the game, so you’ll need a player outwide who is ready to make those dangerous runs in on goal which is why Rashford is perfect for Bruno. Lastly, Bruno never wants to be used as a playmaker, so we should never tick the box if you put his name in the slot, and it also means that you will need to use a ‘Target Man’ for Bruno’s attacking abilities to come to the front. When choosing to play Bruno in a Midfield 3 it is important to give him the license to get forward from this position which means that a ‘Ball Winning’ Midifelder will be crucial; a ‘Full back’ who will not overlap that much is also important; a ‘Winger’ who hugs the touch line and never wants to get into the same positions as Bruno is also key (although Sancho is a bad example of the type of ‘Winger’ you should be aiming for), and of course a ‘Target Man’ who will allow Bruno to make those late runs into the box.There might be some of you out there that want to experiment with Bruno in that outwide position, and if you do, just remember that he will in no form play like a ‘Winger’ or ‘Wide Forward’. So, he will need an attack minded ‘Wingback’ who will provide the width and allow him to go infield, a ‘Ball Winning’ Midiflder to protect the back line as well as cover for the bombarding ‘Wingback’, and if you want to unlock Bruno even further, playing a ‘Box to Box’ or ‘General’ Midfielder is a great way to ensure that Bruno can solely focus on his attacking gameIn this 3-4-1-2 formation, Bruno is operating as the ‘no.10’ in behind the front 2 and in this position, Bruno will run riot and showcase his creative abilities with 2 F(C)’s eager to benefit from his passes, while your ‘BWM’ cleans up the dangers on the break and ‘Wingbacks’ outwide provide the width which frees up even more space for Bruno to operate in
We’re heading into the territory of some serious top ballers soccermanagerite and these are the guys that you want to be basing the set up of your team (if you want to be successful, that is).
As fantastic as Bruno Fernandes is, there is still another player who plays in a similar position that is miles better than him…. He might even be the best player in the world as we speak….. And we’ll be discussing him next. 😉
The Soccermanager Experience 