After a rough start to the season that saw them lose to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool, Manchester United gave their fans something to cheer about over the last week.
First, they travelled to Southampton and put three past them to claim their second win of the Premier League season, and then on Tuesday night, they put seven past Barnsley to book their place in the next round of the League Cup.
Now, Erik ten Hag and Co cannot get too carried away with a win against League One opposition, but such an emphatic victory could be the catalyst his team need to kick on in the league.
That said, an away game against Crystal Palace this evening is no small task, and for as well as the team played on Tuesday, the Dutchman must make some changes, one of which is dropping Christian Eriksen.
Why Eriksen should be dropped
Now, it might sound harsh to drop Eriksen to the bench after he played brilliantly against Barnsley and scored a brace, but the level of opposition tonight and on Tuesday is dramatically different.
The Danish star has shown Ten Hag that he can still be a more than useful squad player who can start in the easier games or come off the bench in more challenging matches, but he’s not shown that he can, or should, start in those tougher matches.
For example, in his 22 Premier League appearances last season, the 32-year-old midfielder scored just one goal and provided two assists, which was a serious decline from the one goal and eight assists he racked up in 28 games the campaign prior.
That means the Middelfart-born ace went from averaging a goal involvement every 3.11 games to averaging one every 7.33 games, and while he’s only played two league matches so far this season, he hasn’t scored or assisted a goal yet.
In all, Eriksen should get more game time in the cup competitions and in less important games, but his league form is noticeably worse than it was a few years ago, and as United have got off to a poor start in the league this season, he must be dropped for a far more effective player.
Why Bruno Fernandes must start
So, in what should come as no surprise, the player who must start ahead of Eriksen this evening is Bruno Fernandes.
The main reason the Portuguese sensation has to start, aside from being the club captain, is simply that he’s United’s most creative and talented midfielder.
For example, despite how poorly the team around him played last season, the midfield “genius”, as his manager dubbed him, racked up a seriously impressive haul of 15 goals and 13 assists in 48 games, equating to a goal involvement every 1.71 games while leading the team to FA Cup glory.
It’s not just last season, though.
In his 239 appearances for the club, the 30-year-old dynamo has scored 79 goals and provided 70 assists, an average of a goal involvement every 1.60 games since January 2020.
Appearances
239
Goals
79
Assists
70
Goal Involvements per Match
0.62
In a game that won’t have as many opportunities as Tuesday night, Ten Hag needs a player like him in the side.
Ultimately, Eriksen played well against Barnsley and should certainly get game time in the next round and FA Cup, but he isn’t good enough to start in the Premier League, especially when Bruno is sitting right there.
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