Bruno Guimaraes was full of praise for the support shown by Newcastle United fans just days before angrily reacting to perceived criticism of his start to the season. The Brazilian midfielder was unhappy after his side narrowly lost away to Premier League champions Manchester City over the weekend, admitting the Magpies ‘lacked hunger’ in the 1-0 defeat. However, when asked if Newcastle could match Pep Guardiola’s top flight heavyweights on their day, Guimaraes admitted he feels as though it would have been a different clash entirely had the tie taken place at St James’ Park, rather than the Etihad Stadium.
Bruno Guimaraes said: “I think it’s possible, especially playing at home, with the support of our fans. I think today we weren’t what we usually are, especially playing at home. Playing against Aston Villa we controlled the whole game physically, we were much better than today, I think. I think that in the second half we improved, we had some opportunities. I think there was a two against one that we wasted. Three against three, a kick that I rushed to kick. So we have a lot to improve, but I think the second half has some things that we can take as positive.”
There has been an outpouring of love for Guimaraes on social media in recent days after he hit out at a Newcastle fan account on Tuesday.
Bruno Guimares said: “Is it too early in the season to start focusing blame onto individual players? Was there an overreaction to the loss to Man City? Is this serious? We are in Champions League football we lost against maybe one of the best teams in the world and we have a big win and lost one game! Support in the best moment is easy! Short stupid memories you all have look what we have done for the team this 1 year and half.”
Guimaraes swiftly deleted the tweet but the response proved a big talking point among supporters in the hours after. Fans have taken it upon themselves to remind Bruno how much he is admired in the north east, with many urging fan group ‘Wor Flags’ to change their plans for Sunday’s game against Liverpool to produce a Guimaraes display instead.
