Reinvigorated Bruno Fernandes no longer looks like Portugal’s spare part

If Bruno Fernandes doesn’t start against South Korea in Portugal’s final group game of this World Cup, it will be because he is being rested by manager Fernando Santos as they have already qualified for the last 16.

When Fernandes didn’t start their final group game of a tournament last year, it was in very different circumstances.

Portugal needed a result in that European Championship decider against France but Fernandes was dropped after a completely anonymous performance against Germany in the second group game a few days earlier. The Manchester United midfielder touched the ball 33 times in his 63 minutes before being substituted as Portugal suffered a 4-2 defeat.

No goals, no assists, no shots, no tackles, no interceptions. Or, as a watching countryman by the name of Jose Mourinho described his display that night in Munich: “On the pitch but not playing.”

Fernandes didn’t start in the last 16 against Belgium either, where Portugal lost 1-0 to be dethroned as European champions.

All of which is hard to imagine right now, when he’s the spearhead of a team who have progressed from a tricky World Cup group containing Uruguay, South Korea and Ghana with a game to spare.

His two goals and two assists in victories over Ghana and Uruguay mean no one had more goal involvements in the tournament at the time of writing (he’s level with Kylian Mbappe of France and Alvaro Morata of Spain, who both have three goals and one assist).

That continues a prolific run of form in a Portugal shirt for the 28-year-old; five goals and three assists in his five appearances this season is far superior to his 2022-23 Premier League numbers of two goals and one assist from 13 games (all starts).

At United, Fernandes was never able to shake off the suggestion he wasn’t as effective after Cristiano Ronaldo joined him in the XI (which is partly down to the drop-off in end-product he suffered when his countryman returned to the club from Juventus at the start of last season — although for Fernandes to keep his 2020-21 record of 28 goals and 17 assists in 58 appearances across all competitions going would have been a tough ask to say the least).

With Portugal, the pair play in tandem, ably assisted by the sublime Bernardo Silva, who has dovetailed beautifully with Fernandes so far in the tournament.

The below graphic shows the average positions of Portugal’s players in their 2-0 defeat of Uruguay on Monday, with Fernandes (No 8) and Bernardo (No 10) close together, albeit the latter had more of a free role.

This is Fernandes’ heatmap from the same match, showing how he tended to stick on the right and combine with right-back Joao Cancelo (No 20).

The next graphic shows us the points on the pitch where Bernardo played all of his successful passes.

Basically, Portugal have three roamers in Fernandes, Bernardo and Ronaldo, with the latter (whose heat map is below) sometimes making himself available for balls into the box but also coming deep to get involved in play.

Behind them, Ruben Neves and William Carvalho did the bulk of the defensive midfield work against Uruguay, helping protect the central defenders Ruben Dias and Pepe, while full-backs Cancelo and Nuno Mendes joined in attacks sporadically, usually Mendes more than Cancelo before the former unfortunately limped off injured (and will now miss the rest of the tournament). Raphael Guerreiro picked up the baton from Mendes.

And then there are the direct attacking runners in Joao Felix, who has started both games, and Rafael Leao, who has come off the bench twice. They are perfect fodder for through balls from Fernandes, Bernardo and Ronaldo. And that’s how Fernandes’ two assists against Ghana came about, picking up pockets of space in front of defences and hitting through balls.

This is where his pass to Felix for Portugal’s second goal that night came from.

And, after running from halfway with Ghana stretched, this is him playing the ball to Leao for what proved to be the decisive third.

Fernandes’ goals have been less impressive than his assists (a cross against Uruguay which would have been an assist had Ronaldo added another layer of Brylcreem in the changing room at half-time) and a hop, step and jump penalty, but he, Bernardo and Ronaldo are at the centre of Portugal’s surprisingly attacking ventures in Qatar, having previously, rightly, been known as a pragmatic, defence-first team under their pragmatic, defence-first manager Santos.

He also deserves praise for how he handled the recent Ronaldo soap opera — the silliness of handshake-gate, then the even more ludicrous who-scored-gate on Monday. His public response of fronting up to questions, smiling and batting them away was just what his team needed. And if he and Ronaldo do have any beef, it’s not been evident on the field. More power to Portugal.

Not that Santos was willing to dish out any praise when asked about Fernandes’ man of the match performance against Uruguay.

“I think it’s a result of the team’s work,” he said. “If the team does not play well, the player himself will not play well so we need to focus on the teamwork and I think in the first two games the team has had a good performance. (Goalkeeper Diogo) Costa saved two shots, so I don’t think we should focus too much on one player.”

Bah humbug. Although he has a point in that it’s the movement, the work rate and the attacking intentions of those around him that are helping Fernandes to thrive.

When he was dropped during those Euros last summer, Fernandes looked absolutely knackered having played 84 matches for club and country in the previous 12 months.

Right now, in a mid-season World Cup, he looks reinvigorated.

GO DEEPER

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(Photo: Sarah Stier – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)