Your Newcastle United headlines for Wednesday, April 20.
Bruno on best position
Bruno Guimaraes believes the system Eddie Howe plays at Newcastle allows him to play his best football. At Lyon, the Brazilian was tasked with the deep-lying playmaker role in front of the back four.
Jonjo Shelvey is currently operating in the ‘quarterback’ position for United, meaning Guimaraes has freedom to get further forward. The subtle tactical nudge from Howe has paid dividends, with the 24-year-old bagging twice against Leicester on Sunday to cement his cult hero status.
Those two goals take his tally in Newcastle colours to three - the same he managed for Lyon in 73 appearances. Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo, Guimaraes revealed he is loving his new responsibility. He said: "At Lyon, I had a slightly different role, I played more as a first man, but at Athletico Paranaense and here at Newcastle I've been playing as a number 8, where I feel more comfortable playing.
"I've also been playing this role in the national team, which is the one I like the most. I believe I still have a lot to evolve in that sense, but I've been scoring my goals.”
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Owen praise for Howe
Former Newcastle striker Michael Owen has hailed Eddie Howe for turning the club’s fortunes around. When the 44-year-old was appointed, relegation looked like a severe possibility despite the recent £300million Saudi-backed takeover.
The Magpies were five points adrift from safety and winless in the Premier League. However, a drastic U-turn in form - inspired by Howe and his coaching staff - has Newcastle a comfortable 13 points clear of the drop one.
In his BetVictor column, Owen praised the Toon boss for the job he has done on Tyneside. "He’s done a brilliant job, I actually think it’s gone under the radar," he said. "Defensively, he’s really improved things and that’s been a huge factor in their recent form. Five home wins in a row, St James’ is becoming a fortress!"
‘Six more finals’ - Krafth
Emil Krafth has declared Newcastle’s work is far from over despite having a 12-point cushion on the bottom three. The Swede is playing his finest football as a Magpies player to date and made a crucial block at the weekend to deny a certain Leicester goal.
Despite supporters beginning to breathe easily, the 27-year-old insists the aim is to finish as high as possible. "There are six more finals,” he told NUFC TV.
“We want to finish as high as we can in the table and it's not finished yet. We have to keep on pushing and believing going into every game.
"It's fantastic [the late winner]. The game is never finished until it's finished and it was a massive win. Maybe we didn't have our best performance but the work rate was there. It was brilliant and I'm very happy for Bruno [Guimaraes] to score twice.
"It was incredible, when you score the last-minute goal, I can't describe the feeling. It's what it's all about, the game isn't over until the referee blows his whistle.”
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