Bruno Guimaraes has acknowledged that there is an air of disappointment around Newcastle United after a tired performance against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
Guimaraes revealed how he felt that the team could have and should have performed better on the night.
Newcastle had five shots on target but never truly threatened goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and quite often looked like they could be caught out on the break.
Both the players and manager Eddie Howe have spoken after the game about how the team didn’t quite do enough and that they were disappointed to come away empty-handed.
Bruno Guimaraes admits Newcastle have to play better
The Magpies were certainly not at their best against the Bundesliga side, but that is somewhat to be expected when carrying 12 injuries and playing every three or four days.
That said, Eddie Howe’s side have very recently put in some brilliant performances against Arsenal and Manchester United even with a depleted squad.
This Champions League fixture looks to have just been one game too many, with Bruno demanding that the team has to do better in the second half.
The Brazilian spoke to Sky Sports after the defeat to discuss his feelings about the team’s display: “Very disappointed, I think the first goal was hard.
“I think the second half we had the chance to score, we didn’t and after we took another goal.
“Bad day in the office, so disappointed, I think we should play much better in the second half.”
Newcastle struggling to cope with injuries
It will be no excuse for Eddie Howe and his team, but Newcastle were without 12 players as they made the journey over to Dortmund.
It may be a strong starting 11, but the games are catching up with the squad and, particularly with Howe’s style of play, it will be tough to keep up their good form.
With huge games coming up in the next few weeks, including the final two Champions League games, it feels impossible to avoid more performances of a similar nature.
The injuries the team have picked up recently like Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy are also worryingly long-term. As we saw last night with several youth players included, Howe may have to rely on some inexperienced talent to get through the busy Christmas period.
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