While Newcastle United’s form this season means one should not look too closely at a single result, Saturday’s loss at Aston Villa underlined the battle they have on their hands.
The race for the top four is so close and, frankly, both Tottenham and Manchester United have more competitive squads as things stand.
Though Eddie Howe’s team have done brilliantly this season, this is a group of players – some key names aside – exceeding expectations.
Indeed, Newcastle do not yet boast the depth of their rivals, which again speaks to the sterling work Howe and his coaching team have done thus far.
Such is the dependence on his biggest names, Newcastle may be playing one of their key men through an injury.
Bruno Guimaraes’ injury hampering his performance
According to The Athletic, Bruno Guimaraes’ ankle injury is hindering some aspects of his performance.
While that’s not to say the Brazilian is playing badly by any means, any player hampered by a niggling issue is hardly going to be able reach their absolute maximin.
Guimaraes picked up the problem during the win over Fulham in January and even admitted after the win over Brentford that he was playing through the pain barrier.
They suggest his ability and influence have been compromised in recent weeks, perhaps explaining the dismal performance of the team at Villa.
Risking Guimaraes is a necessary evil
Clearly, if the club thought playing Guimaraes through his ankle issue would cause any problems long-term, they wouldn’t be doing it.
In an ideal world, the Brazil international would be rested. Still, Howe is light on options in midfield as it is and Guimaraes is simply too important to the cause.
With the Champions League battle so fierce, Newcastle have little margin for error. Next week’s visit of Spurs is absolute huge and even a Guimaraes not fully fit is arguably one of the team’s standout players.
Unless he literally cannot play, we can surely expect Guimaraes to start.
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