It took 71 minutes and another big Bruno Guimaraes moment to kick Newcastle United into gear against Crystal Palace on Sunday, but it’s just become what we expect from the captain now.
There was a cagey and nervous atmosphere at St. James’ Park this weekend as chances passed Newcastle by and Palace remained in the game.
Bruno Guimaraes can’t stop scoring! How many will he get this season?
The Newcastle United skipper is on fire 🔥
What a season he’s having. I dread to think where we’d be without him!
However, a great bit of work from Lewis Miley helped Bruno Guimaraes head home the opening goal, and the rest is history.
That was Bruno’s seventh Premier League goal of the season, and as the captain’s influence on the pitch grows, so too does the pile of praise he gets week in, week out.
Craig Hope lavishes praise on Bruno Guimaraes
In his latest piece for the Daily Mail, reporter Craig Hope had plenty to say about Bruno, describing the skipper as the ‘difference-maker’ for Newcastle and Eddie Howe.
Hope said: “This is why Eddie Howe never substitutes Bruno Guimaraes. You don’t take off your scriptwriter when the story is untold.
“Not for the first time, Newcastle’s captain took up his pen and turned a sleeper into a thriller in the closing pages. There is a charisma about the Brazilian that demands the spotlight, and boy did his team need a leading man as this game entered the final 20 minutes.”
Hope pinpointed the moment Howe took off Sandro Tonali, giving Bruno a more central role, as the key to the game turning in Newcastle’s favour.
“He knew his side needed inspiration and his manager knew he was the most likely source of it,” Hope added.
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Eddie Howe was right to make Bruno captain
Elsewhere, there was more positive talk coming from The Times reporter Martin Hardy, who suggested making Bruno the captain was a masterstroke from the Newcastle United manager.
He said: “Eddie Howe believed he could get another 15% out of Bruno Guimaraes if he made him Newcastle’s captain. Joint top scorer (Premier League) this season. Skipper of a cup-winning team last. He may have had a point.”
Given Howe’s own praise for Bruno after the game, it’s clear no one is taking the Brazilian star for granted on Tyneside. The club and the player are thriving together, and long may that continue.
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