According to Manchester Evening News, Bruno Fernandes' drop in form has been partly attributed to overuse by manager Carrick.

Last season, Bruno Fernandes excelled at creating chances and broke the Premier League assist record, but recent weeks have shown that he is, after all, only human.

Fernandes has looked like a shadow of his former self, uncharacteristically failing to influence the game. On Tuesday evening, he delivered another poor performance in the Champions League match against Atlético Madrid.

The Manchester United captain did not touch the ball in Atlético's penalty area until the second half, and completed only two passes into the attacking third throughout the match.

In the 57th minute, after a through ball from Tielemans, Fernandes missed a one-on-one chance. Carrick, seeing this, held his head in disbelief.

As the ball rolled past the far post, Fernandes' face was filled with despair. He has converted many such chances during his six-and-a-half years at the club.

Had it not been for Bruno Fernandes' reputation, Carrick would likely have substituted him at halftime. Fernandes played poorly, and a substitution would have been logical, but world-class players can sometimes find inspiration even when not performing at their best.

At the Metropolitano Stadium, Fernandes was initially positioned on the right wing, with Tielemans playing as the attacking midfielder, but he was given freedom to move across the pitch. In theory, this should have brought out his best performance.

However, Fernandes' form did not improve. He has looked tired since the World Cup. The fact that he was slow to get up after being fouled by Álvaro Baena in the first half is clear evidence of this.

Although Fernandes had time to choose the right passing lane, he hesitated on the ball, allowing Baena to press him from behind. Normally, he would release it quickly and not spend much time on the ball.

"Maybe they need to take Bruno off because he's not playing well," Rooney said in the first half. It was the only moment when suggesting a substitution made sense.

After Tielemans was replaced, Fernandes moved back to attacking midfield and even hit the crossbar, nearly making an impact on a poor night. However, it was unsurprising when Carrick eventually substituted him after Atlético extended their lead to 2-0, as Manchester United could not mount a comeback with one player short.

The 32-year-old left the pitch with a frustrated expression. The Atlético stadium will host the Champions League final later this season, but Fernandes knows it would take a miracle for Manchester United to be there in June.

Fernandes is playing through injury, which is the main reason for his dip in form, but he also knows he should be performing better.

When asked about Fernandes' situation before the match, Carrick spoke about playing through injury based on his own experience as a player, noting that players are rarely 100% fit throughout the season.

He also predicted that Fernandes would return to his best. "He's done fantastic things for this club and he will continue to do so; there's no doubt about that," Carrick said, showing faith in his captain.

However, Carrick also knows that Fernandes' current form falls short of his own standards. Last weekend against Tottenham, he even needed 23 minutes to complete his first pass—the longest time to find a teammate in his Premier League career.

Carrick also bears responsibility for Fernandes' decline in form. Tuesday night was the first time he substituted Fernandes this season. Manchester United's fixture list is congested this season, and Fernandes' playing time should have been managed more carefully, but he has been overused.

Manchester United's Champions League match against Sabah last month was already a comfortable victory, yet Fernandes played the full 90 minutes despite feeling unwell—a puzzling decision and an example of poor management.

Carrick needs Fernandes to return to form quickly to get the team back on track after a poor start. But the problem is that his performance in Madrid shows the midfielder is still far from reversing his decline.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com