Player thread: Fernando (2014/15)

[basokla]

Sorry which one is it who is Fernando on that video ?

Just so I know which one I'm supposed to be picking on, is it one of the ones stood together not wanting the ball or the one kicking it into the opponent ?

Silva's the one nearest the bottom moving towards the ball, opening his body up looking to receive a pass from Fernandinho.

Fernandinho is the player on the left who receives the first pass after moving into space between a triangle of players and lays it off to Kompany.

Kompany is the player who receives a slightly off target first time pass from Fernandinho after having won the ball of Neymar to regain possession just prior.

Fernando is the one who is stood still watching all of this take place and is flat footed when Kompany's rather stretched pass goes towards him as he allows Rakitic to take it off him and run past him. After a quick double take to check what just happens he then proceeds to turn around 180 but still on the same spot before beginning to saunter somewhat towards play.

Hope that clears it up for you.

Not really, since Kompany usually wears number 4, the "stretched pass" is definitely not number 4, who has his back to the camera, and is the one spinning round.

Why is this so hard?

Ball comes into frame - from Clichy.

Fernandihno backward pass.

Kompany gets intercepted.

Fernando watches.

Zabs chases.

Good grief...

 

[cleavers]

Why is this so hard?

Because the quality of the video above is shite, and you can't tell a 6 from a 4 in it. It definitely looks like a 4 on my screen until pudge posted the good quality link.

 

[Sergi0 Na5r1]

The quality in the Vine makes number 6 look like number 4, that's all, it's Fernando anyway.

 

[basokla]

Why is this so hard?

Because the quality of the video above is shite, and you can't tell a 6 from a 4 in it. It definitely looks like a 4 on my screen until pudge posted the good quality link.

Fair enough. But even on the poor quality Kompany never wears long sleeves. And Fernando always does.

 

[pudge]

The under armour makes it look like Fernando to me

In fact, it makes it "definitely" look like Fernando.

 

[1dart]

It wont help getting on his back whilst at the game but if everyone in the crowd can see it then surely the manager can? Hes not picking himself. When we have had other players who were not rated you could usually point out one attribute that they did well. I cant find one single attribute where i can say he might be shit but at he cant half head/shoot/tackle etc.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

I'm trying to remember the last central midfielder we had that was worse than Fernando. Dabo wasn't a bad shout from an earlier poster, I was thinking Jeff Whitley, but I think he'd have been more use tonight. At least he had some energy and would have closed players down. Fernando is Ged Brannan / Nigel Clough bad.

No wonder he has high ball retention stats, how many forward passes does he make in a game? 2 or 3 at best.

I'm still trying to figure out what he's meant to be good at. It's the cliché with this type of midfielder to say he "does the dirty work" "Breaks up play" and "wins the ball back" only he doesn't actually do any of those things. He's extraordinary limited in possession which even his biggest fan would probably admit, but this idea that he is a defensive midfielder is just a strange non truth that has become accepted as a given. Rather like the idea that David Brightwell played against The Shite in the Kanchelskis 5-0.

He doesn't tackle, he doesn't read the game well, he's deceptively slow, he's not aggressive, his "tackling" involves him putting out a stray leg when his man has already waltzed around him. The only thing he breaks up is our momentum. I don't know whether he is ill or experiencing some mental health issues or something, but this guy does not even look like a professional footballer at the moment. I fail to see how he could possibly have been this bad for Porto. How on earth have we scouted this guy for 18 months and paid 12 million for him. Absolutely bizarre.

I remember watching this as it happened and thought "Fucking hell, he doesn't even know what day of the week it is"

It's as if he's never seen a football before

[video]https://vine.co/v/OQLKKK7I6uQ[/video]

Funny thing is that wasn't the only time I noticed him doing this. I couldn't believe what I was watching, a player at that level shouldn't be looking clueless like that.

 

[NQCitizen]

Did he actually do much worse than Milner last night?

Our of all the options it was the worst central midfield we could have fielded, wouldn't have minded seeing Nasri in there and Navas on the wing over that.

 

[BigOscar]

That gif is from about the 85th minute, where he was clearly just absolutely shattered, which is hardly surprising given the ridiculous amount of running him and Milner had to do thanks to the terrible system and lack of pressure from the forward players. Both him and Milner were chasing shadows all game and looked like they were ready to collapse at full time, as you'd expect against Barcelona with that system, especially after going to 10.

I thought they did a pretty decent job considering, as they at least kept closing down the space in the middle, not allowing the great dribblers to run at the middle of our defence. All Barca's joy came down the flanks or with balls in behind our defenders, which neither him nor Milner could really do much about. Put it this way, when I saw the team we put out, I thought they'd be a lot worse. Our problems were far more about individual errors from the defenders and an inability to pressure the ball high up th pitch imo.

 

[Stephenhakin]

Did he actually do much worse than Milner last night?

Our of all the options it was the worst central midfield we could have fielded, wouldn't have minded seeing Nasri in there and Navas on the wing over that.

I am with you. He didnt stand out as the worst player he was equally as bad as everyone else. Plus does not help him playing in a 2 man mid.