Bruno Fernandes admits introduction of Chelsea player caused problems for Manchester United
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes said they had enjoyed the first half before the early introduction of Mateo Kovacic caused them some problems in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
The Blues started the game with a 3-4-3 formation with Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, and Marc Cucurella playing as a back three.
It is nothing unusual for the hosts, but they had a hard time escaping their half due to being outnumbered in midfield by Manchester United.
Graham Potter was clearly aware of this and did not hesitate to make a change early. He substituted Cucurella out for Kovacic and turned Chelsea’s defensive line into a back four.
Fernandes admitted that the substitution led to Manchester United’s losing some of the control of the game.
“I think the first half was really good from us,” the Portugal international told Sky Sports (via Football Daily).
“After that, the tactical change with Cucurella going out and Kovacic coming in, we had some problems in the middle.
“But we still found our positions and got our chances in the first half, we could [have been] two goals up.”
As Fernandes pointed out, Manchester United could have scored a couple of goals in the first half.
The visitors had four shots on target before the break, while Chelsea managed just one.
Kovacic’s presence stabilised Chelsea’s midfield, but it did not help much in terms of breaking the opposition’s defence.
The Blues had two big chances, though, one more than Manchester United, and Mateo Kovacic created one of them, alongside Mason Mount.
More impressively, the Croatia international has also been nursing a knee injury, according to Potter.
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