Premier League one-touch passing is in decline – unless your name is Bruno Fernandes

“One-touch passes are hard. As the great Johan Cruyff once said, ‘Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team-mate.’ The truth is first-time passes are dying out, with Premier League sides increasingly prioritising controlled possession. Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes, though, has never been one to follow convention. His one-touch, no-look assist in last season’s FA Cup final win against Manchester City would surely have earned Cruyff’s seal of approval. From the edge of the box, Fernandes slid a first-time ball between John Stones and a recovering Kyle Walker, teeing up Kobbie Mainoo for the side-footed finish, as United ran out 2-1 winners, denying City a second successive league-and-cup double. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)