Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes was named in the Brazil starting XI for Carlo Ancelotti’s first game as manager.
However, Bruno Guimaraes could not inspire the Selecao to victory over Ecuador. They drew 0-0 at the Estadio Banco Pichincha in Guayaquil.
The Newcastle United captain, who covered the most ground in the Premier League this season, started in midfield alongside Casemiro and Gerson. Bruno basically played the entire game, coming off in the 92nd minute to be replaced by Fulham’s Andreas Pereira.
The result leaves Brazil fourth in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings, with a top six finish required to advance to the tournament in America next year.
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Brazilian media rate Bruno Guimaraes’ performance vs Ecuador
While it was hardly a glamorous start to Carlo Ancelotti’s reign as Brazil manager, his side were extremely solid defensively.
That is how Globo Esporte have summed up Bruno’s performance, with the 27-year-old receiving a score of 6/10 for his display.
“Impeccable in defence and important in the midfield structure set up by Carlo Ancelotti,” they wrote.
“He won seven of nine duels against the opponents and continued the plays with the ball, even though at times he had to drop back to almost a five-man role to help Brazil’s attack. Tactically extremely important for a team that prioritised defensive security.”
The highest mark they gave was 7/10, which went to Alexsandro Ribeiro after his debut. The lowest score of 4.5/10 was awarded to Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison.
Goal gave Bruno a slightly higher mark, awarding him a 7/10. Marquinhos was their player of the match, with the PSG centre-back receiving an 8/10.
On Bruno, they wrote: “Seemed eager to spend most of the game just smashing into people and winning tackles. Effective, but exemplifies the lack of attacking thrust in this team.”
Bruno Guimaraes reacts after Carlo Ancelotti’s first Brazil game
After the draw, Bruno took to his official Instagram account to deliver his verdict.
He wrote: “An important point due to circumstances!! Only 3 days of training and a lot to improve. We fight and that has to be the spirit from now on. Let’s go Brazil. Step by step.”
While it was hardly a classic, Bruno was happy with how he and his teammates performed. After all, it was their first game under Ancelotti and he has not had much time to truly implement his style of play.
The former Real Madrid boss prioritised the defence and it delivered a clean sheet.
Given their history for flair and attacking talent, there will be pressure on Ancelotti to make this Brazil side entertaining. However, he will hope that comes in time.
Their next game is in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as Brazil face Paraguay in another World Cup qualifier. That game will see Bruno reunited with Miguel Almiron, who left Newcastle United during the January transfer window to join Atlanta United.
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