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Manchester United have suffered a turbulent second season under the guidance of Erik ten Hag with the team facing a fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Question marks have been raised regarding the Dutchman’s style of play which is a far cry from the possession-based approach he deployed so successfully at Ajax.
Club captain Bruno Fernandes has opened up on United’s attacking tactics and says the attributes of his teammates are the reason the team tend to favour transition football.
In an interview with A BOLA, Fernandes explained that United’s wide men have specific qualities that have shaped the way the team builds attacks and the Portuguese star has adapted his game accordingly.
“I can’t ask Rashford and Garnacho, pure wingers, to play inside in the same way as others who maybe started their careers as midfielders or as number 10s and dropped to the lines.
“People sometimes have this idea that all players have to do what others do. No, we have specific characteristics that define us as players and make us very good at what we do,” he said.
The United skipper also cited United’s traditional way of playing, which is famed for its back-to-front fast football without the need for slow, possession based build-up.
“Manchester United’s identity has never been to play a lot of supported football, they are a team of great intensity, intense and attacking football. That’s the idea of the club,” said Fernandes.
The midfielder then said that despite wanting to be on the ball as much as possible, he appreciates the style of play Ten Hag is preaching and recognizes it’s the best option for them with the players at the club.
“Sometimes, we make the mistake of thinking that every team has to play in possession… I want to play in possession, I want to have the ball as much as possible.
“It’s obvious, because players who like to play with the ball want to have it as much as possible, but sometimes we have to fit in with the environment we’re in. And it’s not possible for us to play in the same way as Manchester City,” he added.
The former Sporting Lisbon star further detailed United’s approach, explaining the higher up the field they can get the front men on the ball, the more chance of them isolating defenders and creating chances.
“If we have transition players, it ends up being difficult for them to turn into ball possession players.
“The ball at their feet (the attackers) comes more in the final third, so that they can then get into the 1v1, another of their greatest qualities,” said Bruno.
United’s captain has once again been almost ever present this season and despite not hitting the numbers we are used to seeing, remains a vital cog in Ten Hag’s wheel.
Bruno will be desperate to end the season strong in order to give United the best chance of qualifying for next year’s Champions League.
United return to action with a trip to Brentford at the end of the month and will be looking to exact revenge for the 0-4 defeat they suffered at the Gtech Community Stadium last year, in what was Ten Hag’s second game in charge of the club.
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