Eddie Howe hopes Brazil duty ‘sparks’ Bruno Guimaraes back to life after a poor start to the season, with the Magpies boss backing the midfielder to return to ‘his very top form’
- Bruno Guimaraes is struggling to match last season’s form for his club
- Guimaraes had a successful international break with Brazil with two assists
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Eddie Howe is banking on Bruno Guimaraes being ‘revived’ by his success with Brazil after a slow start to the season at Newcastle – and has warned he will not be loyal to players who do not perform.
The midfielder has played a pivotal role in the club’s rise to the Champions League and is on the verge of penning a lucrative new contract.
However, his form in recent matches has been well below the standards he set, and he was even involved in a social media feud with a fan account last month over perceived criticism.
Guimaraes started both of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers this week and scored in both victories over Bolivia and Peru.
The 25-year-old has returned to Tyneside buoyed by that contribution and Howe believes Newcastle will see the benefits, admitting he has not been at his best so far.
Eddie Howe is backing Bruno Guimaraes to return to his best after a successful international breakthrough
The Brazilian midfielder provided an assist in his side’s victories against both Peru and Bolivia
“It will hopefully inspire him and get his confidence back to the very best level,” the head coach said ahead of Saturday’s visit of Brentford.
“Every player I have ever met is a confident player, he has to feel good to play well. Hopefully that’s what Bruno brings to life for us.
‘He’s done some really good things at the start of the season and made some valuable contributions, so we hope this is what gets Bruno back to his top form.’
Howe, whose side have lost their last three, added: ‘He had a great experience (with Brazil). He performed very well in both matches. He has come back with a renewed resilience, which is great for us. He is such a pivotal figure, a catalyst for much of our good work. We need him at his best.”
And Howe, when asked about loyalty to players who don’t perform, said: ‘I don’t judge last year, I judge this year. I will judge each performance individually. I want to try to make the right decisions, but I won’t be too loyal to players who don’t perform. That would be foolish.’
Despite featuring regularly in his side since arriving from Lyon, he has struggled at the start of the season
Sandro Tonali has also had teething problems at the start of the season after joining from AC Milan for £52m
Questions continue to be asked about the balance of Newcastle’s three-man midfield, with Sandro Tonali signed on Bruno’s right in the summer and Joelinton on the left. They struggled in the most recent 3-1 defeat at Brighton and Tonali looks set to miss this weekend with a thigh injury.
Howe said: “If you look at the game against Aston Villa (5-1 win on the opening day), there was no time wasted, it was almost a given. It was wonderful how our midfield performed that day.
“Fast forward a few weeks and suddenly people are dissecting things and having a different opinion. That’s where it’s important that I don’t fall into that trap. We do our work on the training field to ensure that the team performs optimally.
‘There will undoubtedly be an adjustment period for Sandro. There was with Bruno. There is a period where players need to understand the dynamics of the team.”