Bruno Fernandes is close to rewriting the Premier League assist record, but people keep missing a key point about his assists.
At the time of writing this piece, Bruno Fernandes is just one assist away from equalling Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in a season.
With four games left, not many would bet against him getting two more, which would be well-deserved for a world-class player.
However, people still keep missing the key point about his assists, and Fernandes took the time to explain why it forms a big part of the narrative.
Bruno Fernandes gets another assist – the record is almost his!
Do you think he could get two in the next game vs Liverpool?!
Bruno Fernandes breaks down open-play vs set-piece assists
Fernandes is on 19 assists for the season, but only ten of them have come from open play, with his set-piece delivery giving Casemiro his best goalscoring season in England.
Nine assists from set-pieces have made some people play down the validity of this achievement, as the league, as a whole, has become reliant on set-pieces.
Somehow, set-piece assists have become the “lesser” form of assists, so many people are writing off Fernandes’ impending record as a cheap imitation of De Bruyne and Henry’s achievement.
However, speaking to Opta, Fernandes explained why set-piece assists are actually harder to execute than open-play assists.
He said: ” I think when we talk about set-piece assists, you need to take the ball into the right places and in the right base. Sometimes, it is harder than just a five-yard pass that you make and get an assist.
The way we prepare set-pieces, define the zones, where to attack, so the ball has to come in the right direction. I would tell you that five years ago, you just put the ball in the middle of the box and hope somebody gets it.
“Nowadays, I have to hit a spot, so it’s even harder to assist from a set-piece than it is in open play. Open play or not, you have to have the right guy at the right place with the right ball.”
History will remember Fernandes kindly
This cheapening of set-piece assists to take credit away from Fernandes perfectly fits how he’s been treated since he came to England.
If Florian Wirtz is a £116 million player – how much is Bruno Fernandes worth?!
United’s lack of success hasn’t helped, but Fernandes has always been treated as some kind of stat-hunter when he’s actually just doing what he thinks will help his team win.
From his playing style to his body language, everything has been scrutinised endlessly and mercilessly, but he has remained undeterred.
Years from now, when he will have retired with the record to his name, he will be remembered kindly as one of the most creatively devastating players of all time, regardless of how he created.
Because if it were that simple to assist from set-pieces, every player would be close to breaking the record this season.
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