Will Bruno Fernandes be a good option in 22/23?
We take a look at Bruno Fernandes as an FPL asset heading into the new season. Looking at his last couple of seasons, underlying data from Fantasy Football Scout, new signings and any other impact there could be on deciding this.
With all of the premium priced players in FPL it’s important to know which players we can trust. With Bruno’s price being dropped to £10m for the new season managers will be debating whether he’s worth selecting in their fantasy teams.
Season 20/21
In the season 20/21 Bruno Fernandes was seen as much of an essential as the likes of Trent and Salah. This was only reflected in the fact he was the highest point scorer in the entire game in that season.
Bruno also dominated lots of the underlying data offensively so his record breaking season was not luck. Scoring a total of 18 goals and creating another 12 with assists. The Portuguese midfielder came away with 30 attacking returns in his 37 matches played.
Season 21/22
A season where Bruno struggled to hit anywhere near the previous seasons heights in terms of numbers. Just 10 goals and six assists contributed to the midfielder failing to reach the top 10 midfielders for FPL points returned.
Goal Threat
You can see below Bruno struggled in comparison to other midfielders. We can see that with key stats like shots in the box and big chances. It’s important to note that Bruno was still a lot more expensive last season than the likes of Mount, Bowen and Saka, all performed better overall.
Distribution
Bruno clearly lacked in terms of goal threat last season. However the Man United midfielder did not let up towards his assist potential. Dominating stats like big chances created and chances created with the likes of Salah and Kevin De Bruyne the Portuguese may have felt let down. Although the chances were created by Bruno his team mates failed to put them away. This really let Bruno down and even with world class finisher Ronaldo ahead of him it did not seem to help.
Overall it was not a season FPL managers expected from Bruno Fernandes. He was not as dangerous in terms of goals and was arguably let down by his team mates in that they were not finishing the chances he was creating.
The Ronaldo factor
Ronaldo came in the same season Bruno’s form and points total dipped which may not be accidental. There were matches when Ronaldo was not playing that Bruno appeared far more advanced offensively. This could indicate that Ronaldo does have a negative effect on Bruno’s goal threat.
With some confusion last season over penalties the situation still seems unclear. Penalties can be a key factor when selecting a player in FPL. The situation only goes against Bruno and his potential points in the season ahead.
New manager
New Man United boss Ten Hag has come in with a big reputation and Bruno revealed the training sessions have been intense and players are already tired. Although that may be the case Ten Hag has historically made central midfielders have better attacking outputs.
For Ajax under Ten Hag Man United flop Van De Beek managed nine goals and 10 assists in season 18/19. Potentially an indicator that new manager could get Bruno firing again.
Fixtures
Using the Fantasy Football Scout season ticker we can see that in the first eight game weeks Man United are 11th. With teams like Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham all above them it becomes difficult to not use the big money that Bruno costs in those teams instead.
Summary
It’s difficult to find reasons to back up Bruno for the new season. He has dropped in price and still creates a lot of chances but failed to match midfielders who are much cheaper and have better fixtures in the first eight.
The chances are that Bruno becomes a wait and see for FPL managers at least until the fixtures improve and there is some clarity over penalties.
Thinking about where to put all of that money in FPL? Check out the best Liverpool attacking assets here.
