Itâs just stats at the end of day - some shocking signings have been made by many a club when a player has âgreat statsâ - have to take the opposition into consideration and regardless of what people say the Portuguese League is one of the weakest leagues in Europe and there are no doubt plenty players who donât do well in the Prem could shine in Portugal
He was anonymous against an opponent which is a step up from his league , same again when playing for his country
I didnât point any fingers at anyone in particular and of you want to take my comment on a personal level then thatâs your choice but for me imo people will rate a player from how well they look stat wise and how they play on a simulator - because a good number of the players just like Fernandes are playing in leagues that arenât televised in the UK so 99/100 donât watch him or other stuff play
That still doesn't make them just decent. It was a historic season for a midfielder, you'd have to go back decades to find a similar one, even in Portugal. I'm not arguing that those numbers will necessarily translate in a different league, but they're by definition standout stats in every possible way you look at them, and even players that have left Portugal for greater success in other leagues never had similar stats whilst in the league. That you don't rate him does not change this fact. The Portuguese league is quite boring and definitely not great, but it's not one of the weakest in Europe, 2018-19 UEFA season coefficients have it even above France.
I think there are significant mitigating circumstances for a player in a team seriously struggling (for a large portion of the season Sporting were 4th behind Braga) playing against a fairly superior team or performing as a relatively new international. If I were to judge Gerrard or Lampard as England players in a said World Cup, I'd probably not be overly impressed either.
At the end of the day there's no science to which player adapts and which doesn't, as much as people like to have certainties. If Bruno Fernandes signed for a boring Man Utd he'd most likely not score half the goals he currently does, but if he played for a Man City with freedom to attack he might as well keep up a similar pace. Raul Jimenez was a bench warmer that struggled to impress in the "terrible" Portuguese league and went on to become a regular starter at the Premier League 7th place because he moved to a team that suited his style. Imagine signing a Portuguese league flop and having him become a success in England - that doesn't fit the narrative but it can happen.
I didnât point any fingers at anyone in particular and of you want to take my comment on a personal level then thatâs your choice but for me imo people will rate a player from how well they look stat wise and how they play on a simulator - because a good number of the players just like Fernandes are playing in leagues that arenât televised in the UK so 99/100 donât watch him or other stuff play
I did not take it personally, honestly I just found it arrogant. To be fair, being quick in judging a player can work both ways. A lot of people that are keen on signing him keep saying he "can play as a striker" or "false 9" or whatever (I've seen that elsewhere, not just in this forum), though I don't think he has ever played as a striker in his life. I was told on Facebook that "he's not a central midfielder", which is funny because he played most of his season as one. It's easy to get the impression that people are just going by the numbers of a standout season that might as well be a point completely out of the curve, and creating whatever narrative they like best.
Personally one of the of the reasons I like Bruno Fernandes isn't just because of his goalscoring, and I don't see him as an alternative to Firmino upfront - I actually love his work-rate, his defensive contribution and how much ground he covers.
Logged