Feeling dejected even when you are right – Bruno Guimaraes and Newcastle United

The Mag

·21 de septiembre de 2024

Feeling dejected even when you are right – Bruno Guimaraes and Newcastle United

I had an article published on The Mag earlier this week (Form is temporary – I hope), where I discussed the role of Bruno Guimaraes and his current form within the team.

Normally, you’d feel some satisfaction when your analysis turns out to be correct.

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However, given the choice between being right and watching Newcastle lose, or being wrong and seeing us win…

I’ll gladly choose to be wrong every time.

In the article, I wrote about our captain:

“Remember the last time Bruno bossed the midfield against Manchester City? Or even Liverpool? Yeah, me neither. Bruno’s great when he’s got space to work his magic, but put a decent marker on him and suddenly, he’s either on the floor at the slightest touch (sure, it gets us a free-kick, but still), misplacing passes, or losing possession for fun. Over the last four games, Bruno has arguably played below the level of even a prime Longstaff, when what we need right now is a prime Bruno.”

We’ve all been excited about the Joe-Bruno-Tonali midfield axis, hoping it would become the engine room that drives us forward.

However, it’s become painfully clear that some players aren’t reaching their potential. Take our latest match against Fulham—it feels like our luck has run out. The pundits, Merson included, who predicted a Newcastle loss, were spot on.

Bruno Guimaraes is undoubtedly the heartbeat of this team. When given space, he can dictate the tempo of the game, but opposition teams have figured us out: slap a marker on Bruno and suddenly the fluidity of our game is gone. The knock-on effect? The whole team suffers.

Make no mistake, Bruno Guimaraes is a passionate captain, but his performances this season have been below standard. Persisting with him while others are in better form might be hurting the team.

I vividly remember him trying to sprint back after a Fulham counter-attack around the 60th minute, he struggled to get back manfully, but it was painful to watch. It raises the question: why wasn’t Sandro Tonali in the starting line-up? Bringing him on with just 20 minutes left, felt criminal. Within five minutes of being on the pitch, he delivered a defence-splitting pass, the kind Bruno has been known for but hasn’t shown this season.

Eddie Howe is, without a doubt, the best manager we’ve had in a long time.

However, there comes a point where loyalty needs to be re-evaluated in favor of merit. Howe is data-driven, analysing player performance meticulously in training and on matchdays.

However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Sticking with the same players and approach week after week has made us predictable. Last season, we were the ones pressing high and dictating play. Against Fulham, we struggled to break their press, and they set up dangerous counter-attacks far too easily.

Something needs to change and fast.

To get the most out of this trio, Tonali should play as the number six, allowing Bruno to push further up the field, where his talent can do more damage, or where he can be dispossessed without leaving us exposed at the back. Maybe a rest or a position change would reignite Bruno’s spark and return him to his best.

Perhaps I’m being overly critical of Bruno, but I think he needs a wake-up call, even Brazil subbed him off at half-time against Paraguay. There’s a top player in there, no doubt, but no one—Bruno included—should take their place for granted.

When he finds his form again, I’ll be the first to cheer him on and call him our saviour. He has the quality to turn things around and in Howe we trust.

Finally, on a side note. Fabian Schar, we all know you’re a quality defender. Scoring that goal was amazing and no one can take that moment away from you, but next time, just pass it to Isak. You’ll still be a hero.

Fulham 3 Newcastle 1 – Saturday 21 September 3pm

(Stats via BBC Sport)

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Barnes 46

Fulham:

Jimenez 5, Smith-Rowe 22, Nelson 90+2

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Newcastle 61% (60%) Fulham 39% (40%)

Total shots were Newcastle 15 (4) Fulham 22 (13)

Shots on target were Newcastle 4 (1) Fulham 11 (7)

Corners were Newcastle 0 (0) Fulham 6 (3)