Newcastle United hasn’t exactly been at its best this year, it’s fair to say.
Even though Eddie Howe’s team set such high standards their previous outing, things have not really clicked since the rout of Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the Premier League.
However, the Champions League draw against AC Milan on Tuesday must be seen favorably.
Newcastle has a point on the board away from home in the dreaded “Group of Death,” alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly a stellar night overall.
Although Nick Pope’s performance has received plaudits, the England goalkeeper had a message specifically for one of his squad members.
Nick Pope lauds Bruno Guimaraes after the AC Milan match
The England goalkeeper did specifically name Bruno Guimaraes.
Following the match, the Brazilian international thanked Pope on Instagram, and the goalie reciprocated in a TNT Sports interview.
“Massive, you know,” he said to TNT Sports Brazil.
He is the heart, the intellect, and a little of everything else. He is a top athlete. We are happy to have him on our team since he directs the play and controls the tempo. He is a top athlete. He really makes Newcastle work, both on and off the ball.
What was Guimaraes’ performance versus Milan like?
It’s fair to say that this season, the Brazil star and Sandro Tonali haven’t exactly gelled.
Even while Guimaraes, 25, isn’t performing with the lung-busting box-to-box excellence he impressed with during his first few months as a Newcastle player, that isn’t really his function as a No.6 any longer.
He won five of his nine ground duels, which is not easy in central midfield, according to Sofascore data, and 92.3% of his 39 passes were completed, according to WhoScored. a controlled performance, though not one that stands out.
