NOTTINGHAM: Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has hailed the match-winning impact of Bruno Guimaraes, describing the Brazilian midfield maestro as “special.”
The former Lyon man was instrumental in the Magpies claiming all three points at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, their fourth away win on the bounce in all competitions. Guimaraes scored the opener, then the winner in a 3-2 victory, which took Newcastle up to seventh in the Premier League table.
And Howe singled the player out for praise, particularly after excelling in a slightly more advanced role from his usual No.6 berth.
The head coach said: “Two incredible finishes. The first one is real credit to Jason [Tindall] and our analysts who work so hard on set pieces with the players. Kieran Trippier’s ball was incredible and pinpoint but Bruno still has a lot to do and it was an outstanding finish. Second one, he’d just been moved deeper on the pitch to give us some control back in the match and then he does that to score the winning goal.”
Guimaraes has so often been asked to not only be Newcastle’s defensive lynchpin, but also their main creative spark. It has been a heavy burden for the Brazilian to carry this campaign. However, in the latter stages against Luton and again for the full 90 minutes against Forest, Bruno was set free by Howe.
“When we can get him the ball higher up the pitch he has undoubted quality,” said Howe.
“It’s always a difficult balance for me, especially with only three recognized midfielders. We’re trying to find the right balance for those three players.
“Today Lewis (Miley) played as a six to play Bruno higher and Sean (Longstaff) was in his normal role. In the game we were mixing things around, and I still think that’s a challenge for us. As I’ve said many times, individually they’ve done very well and Lewis today for someone so young to play that role and the responsibility that comes with it, I thought he did excellently.”
Guimaraes’ performance has led many to wonder whether the player is eventually back to his very best in black and white. Howe knows he has a real asset on his hands, when used correctly.
“I think, like all players this season, he’s had moments where he’s been the difference-maker for us and there have been moments when games have been more difficult,” said Howe, whose side take on his former club Bournemouth next Saturday.
“He’s definitely targeted by teams now to stop him, and that is in part why we moved him and tried something different. He’s got real quality, but underneath it all he is a humble lovely person as well and those two things, the player and the person, makes him a special man for us.”
Not only was this a special moment for Guimaraes, but Howe also took the time to revel in the spoils of glory with a Jurgen Klopp-like fist pump act with Newcastle fans on the final whistle.
He explained: “That was because they haven’t had many positive moments away from home, not as many as we would have liked. We appreciate and value their support so it was a big win for us today and, hopefully, we can look forward to next week at home.
“It means everything to all of us. We give so much in our preparation to win matches, the supporters give so much to travel and watch us play. At times this season we’ve not given them the reward that we want to so when we do it’s nice to celebrate it.”
Injuries have been a constant spectre in the Magpies’ faulted campaign — and that does not seem to be showing any signs of evaporating, with Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson picking up issues in the Midlands.
Howe said: “Jacob Murphy was unusable for us today. He didn’t feel great in the warm up. So we’re still getting challenges left, right and center but we’re, at this moment in time, managing to come through those. Today was a massive result for us, it gives us a real big high off the back of last week where there were so many positives but ultimately a disappointing result. The players just keep giving more and I couldn’t be prouder tonight.”
On Wilson, only recently returned, the head coach added: “Slight concern for us after the game. His shoulder is fine, but there looks to be a problem with one of the muscles in his arm. We’re hopeful it’s not serious, but at this moment we don’t know.”
