Bruno Guimaraes: Why can’t Newcastle win without Brazilian?
The wait continues, but even if Aston Villa are in third place, defeat should definitely not be a foregone conclusion.
Newcastle defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in the Champions League in midweek.
They are unbeaten at home in the Premier League since the end of September and have scored at least two goals in each of their previous eight top-flight matches at St James’s.
The home team was facing the Aston Villa team, who had just landed from Istanbul in the early hours of Friday morning after their Europa League draw with Fenerbahce.
And Howe’s men certainly had a chance to attack.
The match had not even started when Sandro Tonali shot past three Aston Villa players and was denied by the foot of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez; Fellow midfielder Lewis Miley saw his side header in to equalise.
Howe paid tribute to the pair for having a “good game” and lost another Brazilian, Joelinton, to a groin injury on an afternoon.
However, the Newcastle head coach made it clear after the match that he was saddened by the absence of another midfielder.
“This is not necessarily something to be taken lightly,” he said. “I thought we missed Bruno’s forward thinking.
“He always wants to pass forward and he’s always looking for a creative pass. You could see we missed that today.
“He always wants the ball and he always demands the ball from his teammates. Those are tremendous qualities and he also has that never-say-die spirit and attitude.”
There have been countless examples.
Earlier this month, as Newcastle lost 3-2 to Leeds United in the 90th minute, Guimaraes scored a late penalty to equalize on the byline and somehow manage to win the match.
The 28-year-old player scored the first goal after the matches against Crystal Palace, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest ended goalless.
Guimaraes even popped up with a late winner against Fulham in October.
But Newcastle looked unlikely to create a similar moment as Sunday’s game went on, with forwards Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade only mustering a weak shot between them.
The home team once again lacked the guile to unlock a dogged defense in the second half; Just a week after he failed to find the back of the net against Wolves.
It is worth noting that Guimaraes was in the side that afternoon.
“There’s no point in thinking we need another type of player right now because it’s not going to happen,” Howe said.
“The next chance we’ll have to really change the squad will be in the summer. It’s about getting the best out of the players we’ve got.”
