Eddie Howe disagrees with Bruno Guimaraes after ‘emotional’ Newcastle United v Sunderland verdict
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Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe has spoken about Bruno Guimaraes’ comments following their defeat to Sunderland.
Eddie Howe has revealed he disagreed with some of Bruno Guimaraes’ comments following Sunday’s defeat to Sunderland.
The Brazilian captained the Magpies in a Wear-Tyne derby for the first time at the weekend, but joined the unenviable list of players to lead their side to defeat in that fixture. Speaking post-match, an emotional Guimaraes described his team’s performance as ‘a mess’ and admitted he was ‘embarrassed’ at full-time.
“I’m very angry, I’m so embarrassed and I’m so frustrated.” Guimaraes said. “There was no crossing, no passing and no shooting. No nothing. It was a mess, in my opinion.
“We know we have a better team than them (Sunderland) but we didn’t play like the better team. It was a mess.
“The consistency isn’t there, the mentality isn’t there. We didn’t compete. The fans expect and deserve better.
“We accepted the way they play with the long balls. You need to compete in a derby and we didn’t.
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“We only have one way we can go from here and that’s winning in a few days.”
The Brazilian then posted a statement on social media on Monday night, clarifying his comments, writing: ‘Reflecting a lot on what happened yesterday, we sincerely apologize to the fans for what occurred - not only because of the result, but also because of the way everything unfolded. I believe our chance to “set things right” will only come in March, but with the schedule we have, there’s no time to waste.
‘On Wednesday we already have another very important match that could put us in our third semifinal in four years together. We still have many games ahead of us, and we will go through every situation if we stay united. There’s no time to blame anyone, because this team’s greatest quality is working with the 11 as if they were one. Howay the lads’.
Eddie Howe disagrees with Bruno Guimaraes comments
Having had two days to reflect on that game and their performance at the Stadium of Light, Howe was asked about his captain’s comments both immediately after the game, and then the statement he released on Instagram on Monday.
Howe responded: “I think Bruno's comments, he was 90% right. Initially, I don't think we were a mess. I don't think the other parts of his original comments were wrong.
“But we weren't a mess. We were very well organised, we just didn't deliver the performance that we wanted to.
“I think Bruno's very emotional and that's part of his success. That's why he's such an outstanding player for us and leader for us.
“But as I say, it's making sure our messaging is right to the outside world.
“The second statement he put across is 100% right and that's what we need. The mindset now is that we can't affect the past, we can only affect the future and we need to do that together.”
The Magpies host Fulham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night before returning once again to St James’ Park on Saturday when they face Chelsea in their final Premier League outing before Christmas.