Should you pick Bruno Fernandes for your FPL squad in Gameweek 9?
Is Portuguese Bruno Fernandes capable of leading a crisis‑hit Manchester United?
Portuguese Bruno Fernandes was one of the most popular picks in Fantasy Premier League in recent seasons, but in the current campaign, especially in the last weeks the attacking midfielder has appeared much less frequently in Fantasy lineups for new gameweeks, and most importantly – the player physically missed out of the Red Devils' squad for the last match of the championship against Bournemouth. Which Man United dramatically lost 0:3.
Those who closely follow the situation around Manchester United understand the reason. After another crushing defeat – in the Champions League to Italian Como (1:4) Fernandes allowed himself some not very pleasant remarks towards MU management and personally the team's head coach – Michael Carrick. Because of this Bruno was essentially temporarily dropped from the starting lineup.
But will Fernandes play in the 9th gameweek against Chelsea? And is it worth taking Bruno into your Fantasy PL squad for the new gameweek? Let's try to find answers to these questions together in this article.
Why you shouldn't take Bruno into your Fantasy squad
Despite all Carrick's assurances that their conflict with Bruno has been resolved, and Fernandes remains "his captain" in the squad, it is still early to speak about the end of the "cold war" between the player and the coach. The Red Devils' manager can still continue disciplinary work with the player, and Bruno himself may not give 100% for a coach he does not fully trust.
The second reason not to take Fernandes in Fantasy PL – the team's overall crisis. MU hasn't won in the PL for two months! The team is just one point away from the relegation zone, and spending a substantial amount on a player from such a squad (and Bruno still costs a hefty sum – £11.7 million), doesn't seem like the best idea.
Reason number 3 – Bruno brings few points. After the Portuguese delivered a masterpiece in the match against Ipswich (5:2), for which the Portuguese earned 23 points, he scored no more than 2 points per game in five consecutive rounds, and against Bournemouth, as mentioned above, he didn't even appear on the field at all.
Why Bruno is worth picking in the Fantasy Premier League for gameweek 9
The Portuguese knows how to play against Chelsea. In recent years Fernandes has played 13 matches against Chelsea in the EPL, and his stats in duels with the Londoners are quite impressive – 4 goals and 2 assists.
Chelsea also has plenty of problems. Bruno is certainly not the most talentless player in the EPL, capable of exploiting opponents' weaknesses, and given Chelsea's own personnel issues, there could be many such weaknesses. This includes the injury of first‑choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, as well as the injuries of captain Reece James, and his defensive partners Lacroix, Hato and Gusto, and of course the injury of attacking leader João Pedro, who definitely will not play this weekend.
So, as we can see, the situation around Bruno Fernandes is far from clear‑cut. The Portuguese could even not appear on the field in the match against Chelsea in the 9th round, and could also become one of the heroes of the upcoming weekend in the Premier League.
Well, if you have still decided not to take Bruno in your Fantasy Premier League squad, but don’t know whom to pick instead of the Portuguese, then our article about the optimal squad for the 9th round, which we published on the site earlier, will be useful for you.
Source: Manchester United FC