Newcastle United players managed to get over the line and pick up three points on the road against Burnley this weekend, with one man picked out as the crux of this team.
It’s now four games unbeaten for Newcastle, even if the performance against Burnley was less than convincing.
Eddie Howe will naturally be pleased with the three points and the fact that the Magpies are climbing the Premier League table, slowly but surely.
While Howe praised Anthony Gordon after the game, it’s actually Bruno Guimaraes who was the pick of the bunch for one pundit.
Dion Dublin raves about Bruno Guimaraes
Guimaraes scored his second goal of the week with another stunning strike against Burnley, this time scoring direct from a corner kick.
It’s clear Guimaraes is taking his game to a new level right now, and Dion Dublin was quick to highlight the skipper’s impact.
Analysing the game on Match of the Day, Dublin said: “He’s like a serial performer. He just seems to… he likes the pressure, he likes the responsibility of being skipper. He’s cultured, he’s got awareness, everything revolves around him.
“He can do it with his bad foot, his good foot, he tries everything to get the team over the line. He made more passes than anyone else against Burnley. If there is ever a spark at Newcastle, it’s him.”
He has a point. In the past week, Guimaraes has called out his teammates for their complacency and it’s clear he demands so much more from those around him. He leads by example, and if Newcastle are to be successful this season, you’d imagine the captain will be at the heart of that.
Was Bruno Guimaraes Newcastle’s star performer vs Burnley?
In our Newcastle United player ratings vs Burnley, it was Bruno who once again stole the show. He’s been the standout in the past two games, and it really does look like the Magpies need him on the pitch if they are to do anything.
The amount of ground he covered yesterday against Burnley was insane, frankly. But looking deeper, the Newcastle captain did everything you could want and more.
Not only did he have four shots, Guimaraes also completed 93% of his 74 passes on the day with one key pass and one big chance created. He had a whopping 97 touches on the day with only one of them unsuccessful.
Even defensively, he was impervious. Guimaraes logged six duels won and six recoveries, proving he is not only crucial in the attacking third, but also gives everything to make sure his team are combative and fighting for every single ball.
Newcastle have never won when Bruno isn’t in the starting XI, and it’s getting easier and easier to see why that is.