‘Not been easy’ - Joelinton honest on Newcastle United struggles and Bruno Guimaraes exit
Joelinton returned to the Newcastle United setup for the defeats to Coventry City and Aston Villa.
Joelinton has urged Newcastle United to “stick together” ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace.
And in a reassuring message to supporters, the Brazilian highlighted how the mood in football can shift quickly. Boos echoed around St James’ Park as Newcastle lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Matthias Jaissle’s side failed to deliver a reaction after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Coventry City five days earlier. As a result, a minority of fans questioned the manager’s position on social media.
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‘This is football’ - Joelinton
However, Joelinton has called for understanding and for Newcastle to stay measured following results. He said: “It's difficult but this is football. We have to be positive, we have to have the mindset that things can change quickly.
“When we win, we are not the best team in the world, and when we lose, we're not the worst. That's got to be the mentality to get ourselves up and work hard and keep going. Every game is a must-win. We are competitors, we want to win every game.
“It's football, it's life, sometimes things don't go in your way, sometimes you are not at your best. Now it's time to stick together and stay positive and work hard. We hope to have a better performance at the weekend.
“Today maybe we're down, but Sunday we can be up again and just continue and try to improve every game. Things can change quickly.”
‘Not been easy’ - Joelinton
Joelinton has only returned to the team in the past fortnight after suffering a thigh injury during the final pre-season clash against Strasbourg. Reflecting on the setback, he added: “Yes, it's not been easy. It's (the injuries) been difficult for me. New season, but I have a similar problem that I had last season and before, so it's been a challenge.
“I always keep going and just glad to be back now and I hope I can improve. I hope I can help the boys. Sometimes, we're down, but football can change quickly and you have to be positive.”
Joelinton on Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes, his best friend at Newcastle, left a void to fill when he joined Arsenal. Not only as a midfield talisman, but in the dressing room too, with Joelinton assuming the vice-captain role.
On Guimaraes jumping ship and his new-found responsibility, Joelinton said: “He had a lot of qualities. His best quality was always to be there, always present in the moment, always fighting till the end. That's what I'm trying to do.
“We had other leaders too, great guys like Kieran Trippier in the past. We have Dan Burn, a great leader, and you try to learn something from everyone. But the most important thing is just be myself and do the things that I always have done.
“I always had good communication with Bruno, Sandro (Tonali), (Sean) Longstaff, (Joe) Willock. I always try to help them on the pitch, I always try to give them the motivation to keep going. I don't think it's changed too much.”
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