Bruno Fernandes talks about the differences with Michael Carrick’s Manchester United (Image: Sky Sports)
Bruno Fernandes believes Michael Carrick has helped instill the mindset that Manchester United must be the ‘hero’ in every game they play since taking over from Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese midfielder believes that mentality is essential for someone representing a club like the Red Devils.
United have secured qualification to the Champions League and are in excellent form under Carrick, winning 12 of their 17 games and drawing three. By achieving this feat, Carrick became the first English manager to win eight or more of his opening nine Premier League games, and only the sixth in history.
Fernandes, who had some outstanding performances during United’s campaign, believes their improvement as a team and a fresh approach to the game has led to their improvement.
“I can talk about past results and everything that didn’t go my way this season,” Fernandes told Gary Neville in an interview on Sky Sports.
“We have grown a lot as a team and the way we approach the game has gotten a lot better each time.
“We have to be the hero every time. We don’t think, ‘Let’s do our best and see what happens.’ We have to be the hero of the game, and then we’ll see.
“Sometimes you struggle and sometimes you don’t, but you play for a big club and you have to try to be the hero of the game.
“We are not at the moment. We always want to be in the top four. It is mandatory, but that is the first position we want.”
Fernandes remained perplexed by United’s difficulties early in the season.
He believes that although the Red Devils effectively implemented Amorim’s tactic of limiting the presence of opponents in the penalty area, they were unable to prevent a crucial goal from being conceded.
The playmaker helped United return to the Champions League. (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
United’s captain believes this was a huge blow to the team’s confidence, and the team’s belief was undermined every time it happened.
“Under Ruben, we always had the upper hand in the matches, but at the time we were the team that conceded the least amount of time in the penalty area, and at the same time we were also the team that conceded more goals in that period,” he explained.
“In our heads we were like, ‘How is it possible that we don’t let them get into the box that often, but we still concede goals when they come?'”
“It was something that the whole team did, it had nothing to do with the defenders or the goalkeeper. For example, we are very good in the moment, so let’s not let them get into the box. And when they did that, we always conceded goals.”
“It always felt like everything was going well. We were creating chances, we weren’t scoring, and then all of a sudden they had a chance and they scored against us. So the belief that we were doing everything well and everything was always crumbling a little bit.”
However, Fernandes supported Amorim’s system, claiming it had proven effective beyond the scoreline.
Asked if there was a problem with the formation, Fernandes said: “I don’t think so, because like I said, we were the ones who didn’t let them into the box.”
“So I mean you did well. You defended well and as far as offense goes, we were there with the creation of xG or something.”
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