Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate uses a blend of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week:
- Fernandes' creativity
- Florentino's tackling
- Newcastle's struggles
Fernandes' creativity key for Man Utd
Manchester United's thrilling performance in their derby win over Manchester City on Saturday has naturally sparked talk of them being back, a restoration of sorts after Ruben Amorim's exit. That remains to be seen but for Bruno Fernandes it seems clearer.
Back in his best position, restored to that No 10 role, he produced some performance at Old Trafford. Having been denied a goal and an assist by the offside flag in the first half, he eventually set up the opener - and made history against Pep Guardiola's City.
In his decade in charge, no player had ever created four big chances in a Premier League game against them. In fact, Fernandes is the only player to do it against any team this season. And he has done it twice, having also achieved it in beating Wolves last month.
Fernandes is responsible for three of the four occasions that a player has created four big chances in a Premier League game in the past three seasons, a reminder that while sometimes cast as part of the problem, he is surely among the victims of United's malaise.
His efforts against City saw him bring up 600 chances created in his Premier League career, which is 168 more than Kevin De Bruyne, who is the next person on the list, since Fernandes' debut in the competition. Astonishing in what has often been an underwhelming side.
Those numbers also indicate that he has not exactly been stifled under Amorim. In fact, he tops the charts for chances created this season too. Even so, it must make sense to get Fernandes closer to the opposition goal where he can do more damage from open play.
The heatmaps from his Premier League career at United show that he was doing more of his work in his own half under Amorim, whose preferred formation does not have a natural role for a true No 10. Michael Carrick must be tempted to unleash him from there now.
Because he can still make the difference. United's owners will look to Fernandes' age and the potential money that is on offer from Saudi Arabia and make their calculations. But there is also Champions League money to consider. And this Fernandes can deliver that.
Florentino's tackling at Liverpool
Florentino's performance in Burnley's surprise 1-1 draw at Liverpool did not showcase the same levels of creativity but he deserves huge credit for his attempts to shut down the reigning Premier League champions at Anfield. The midfielder made nine tackles.
It is only the fifth time that a player has made nine tackles in a Premier League game this season - and Florentino has been responsible for two of them, having also done so against West Ham in November. This was perhaps his best game in a Burnley shirt.
It was not perfect. He gave away a penalty that Dominik Szoboszlai missed. And some fans have been a little frustrated by his lack of care in possession. But his combative qualities were ideally suited to this particular challenge against Arne Slot's side.
This is what Scott Parker wanted when he brought in Florentino on loan from Benfica late in the summer transfer window. Burnley will need more of it if they are to escape from their predicament, still eight points from safety in the Premier League table.
Newcastle's creativity concerns
Perhaps Newcastle's goalless draw at Wolves should not have come as a surprise given that they started the season with three stalemates in their first three Premier League matches on the road. But it is just another example of their lack of cutting edge.
Eddie Howe's side have now failed to score in three of their last four away from home. In fact, their only two Premier League victories on their travels have come after taking the lead inside two minutes. When charged with breaking teams down, they often struggle.
Nick Woltemade has become something of a scapegoat for that, having not scored in his last seven appearances. But Newcastle's creativity problems run deeper. They are too passive in attack for a team that is at his best when showing real intensity in their play.
Indeed, at Molineux they became the team to have registered the highest passing accuracy without a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League game since Opta began collecting such records. Wolves dropped deep. All Newcastle could do was cross the ball.
Where was the movement inside, the movement around Woltemade? Wolves were happy to let Newcastle have the ball wide. Better chances might have come with some cute play in the half spaces. Without it, Howe's team can look a little one-dimensional.
