The Debrief: Bruno Fernandes leading through creativity, Yves Bissouma’s form and Man City's changing midfield

In his latest column, Adam Bate looks at Bruno Fernandes’ brand of leadership, Pep Guardiola’s response to man-to-man marking, Yves Bissouma’s improvement at Tottenham, plus a big game between Sheffield United and Everton at the weekend…

Comment and Analysis @ghostgoal

Tuesday 29 August 2023 14:45, UK

The most creative player in the Premier League this season is Bruno Fernandes. He has the highest expected assists total – a purer measure of creativity than actual assists given that it does not depend on a colleague's finishing. He is consistent too.

There are 20 players in the Premier League who have an expected assists total of 0.5 or more in a single game this season — their passes effectively worth half a goal. Only two have done it more than once so far. Kaoru Mitoma has done it twice but Fernandes has achieved the feat in all three of Manchester United's matches.

It has been an underwhelming start by Erik ten Hag's team but what was noticeable inside the ground at Old Trafford for their comeback win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday was Fernandes' role in driving the team on. His bravery on the ball is key.

There were groans when he picked out Marcus Rashford with a square pass from a free-kick early in the second half. Many wanted to see the ball go into the box. They were frustrated but Fernandes was on the move for the return pass. He set up Casemiro to equalise and went on to score the winner himself from the penalty spot.

Fernandes' leadership is frequently questioned because of more trivial matters such as body language. But Ten Hag recognises that leadership takes many forms. Fernandes has personality on the pitch and is willing to take responsibility with the ball at his feet.

«He played a very good game