Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said he disagreed with some of Bruno Guimarães’ comments after the derby day defeat to Sunderland, saying his abuse was only “90 per cent” correct.
Guimarães slammed Newcastle’s performance, calling it “embarrassing” and “a mess”, while speaking live on Sky Sports on Wednesday to demand an immediate response from his team during their Carabao Cup quarter-final match against Fulham.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Monday in response to his emotional interview, Guimarães said it was time for the club to remain “unity” and stop blaming anyone else for the defeat.
“I think Bruno’s comments were 90 percent correct the first time,” Howe said.
“I don’t think we weren’t confused. I don’t think the rest of his initial comment was wrong. But we weren’t confused.
“We were very well organized. We just didn’t give the performance we wanted. Bruno is very emotional and I think that’s part of his success.”
“That’s why he’s such a good player for us, he’s our leader and at the same time he makes sure our message gets right to the outside world. The second statement he gave is 100 percent correct and that’s what we need.”
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Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimarães labels performance against Sunderland ‘frustrating’ and ’embarrassing’
“The idea now is that we can’t influence the past. We can only influence the future, and we need to do it together.”
Newcastle lost 1-0, extending their winless run against their nearest rivals in the Premier League to 10 games, their worst game of the season. The visitors had just two shots on target and an xG of 0.25.
Wednesday, December 17th 7pm
8:15pm kickoff
Howe, who attended the game twice, admitted his side were poor in the forward areas, but remained calm despite the growing noise about Newcastle’s below-average performances this season.
“Part of my job is to stay calm, because I think if you don’t you’ll be adding to the emotional rollercoaster that football brings. I think you’ll just be damaging relationships that are very important, and it’s all through the football club.”
“So I think leaders have to be very mindful of that and be very constructive in their feedback and criticism. Of course I think we have to be very honest with the players, so we’re going to try to do that.”
“They have to come back to us very honestly and then we have to find a way to move forward and find a way to get consistent results. That’s what we’re still looking for this season.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Sunderland and Newcastle
Howe admits Byrne’s injury: “Our last line is vulnerable”
Howe confirmed centre-back Dan Byrne could be out for six weeks after sustaining rib and lung injuries in the defeat to Sunderland.
Emil Craft, Kieran Trippier and Sven Botman are also absent, leaving Howe short on options in the defensive line.
“The importance of Dan was not in the public eye and losing him was a big blow for us considering everything he brought to the team. I think he’s been great the last few weeks so yeah, he’s got some rib issues and some lung issues so we wish him well. It’s probably going to be around four to six weeks.”
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Jamie Carragher believes Eddie Howe has disappointed Newcastle as a club
“The backline is a problem for us. We don’t have a lot of injuries, but we have a bunch of players who are all playing in the same position who are out, and they are stretching all the time, so the backline looks vulnerable. As for Sven Botman, we have no idea when he will come back. He is making good progress, but I don’t think he is ready to play yet.”
“And Emile Craft and Kieran Trippier are still out and we think their target date will be around the New Year.”
Howe revealed goalkeeper Nick Pope is nearing recovery from a groin problem, saying: “I don’t think he’s far off. We’ll see how he’s doing between this game and the game before the weekend.”
