Newcastle United “haven’t got any major plans” to change their system at St. James’ Park, as journalist Dean Jones drops an intriguing claim on Bruno Guimaraes in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.
Eddie Howe will be disappointed with the Magpies’ points return at the start of the Premier League season.
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It’s been a difficult start to the campaign for Newcastle after opening the new season with a stunning 5-1 victory over Aston Villa at St. James’ Park last month. However, it’s been tough since then, with the Magpies picking up zero points out of a possible nine. Newcastle followed up their victory over the Villans with a 1-0 defeat at reigning treble winners Manchester City, though Howe will not have been too concerned by the manner of the defeat.
The following weekend saw the Tyneside outfit lead ten-man Liverpool 1-0 with ten minutes remaining at St. James’ Park after Virgil van Dijk’s first-half dismissal. Howe’s side contrived to concede a late double to Uruguayan international Darwin Nunez and came away from the clash empty-handed.
Last weekend, Newcastle came up short again, losing 3-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion, who themselves were reeling from a 3-1 home defeat to West Ham United the previous week. Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie recently told GIVEMESPORT that he feels Newcastle would be better balanced if Sandro Tonali moved from the number eight position into a holding midfield role.
Newcastle United - Summer Signings | Fee |
|---|---|
Harvey Barnes - Leicester City | £39m |
Sandro Tonali - AC Milan | £55m |
Yankuba Minteh - Odense Boldklub | Undisclosed |
Tino Livramento - Southampton | £32m |
Lewis Hall - Chelsea | Loan |
All fees via Sky Sports | |
What has Jones said about Newcastle?
Jones has claimed that Newcastle had looked to sign another midfielder to allow £40m star Guimaraes to “flourish more.” However, the journalist claims that the club don’t have “major plans” to change much in the middle of the park during the international break.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “It's a difficult blend to find, and this was one of the things they set out into this season trying to figure out. But the big thing at Newcastle has been how they can get even more out of Guimaraes. That was why they wanted to bring in one more midfielder who could probably sit and break up play and play the other passes he used to play, allowing him to flourish more. We haven't seen that happen in the early stages of this season, and that midfield trio hasn't combined particularly in the Brighton game in the way you would expect or hope them to. But I'm told Newcastle are still full of hope and expectation that this comes good, and they haven't got any major plans to change too much.”
What next for Newcastle?
Whilst it’s been a difficult start for Newcastle, Howe will be confident that this early-season blip won’t define the rest of their season, with Champions League football on its way to St. James’ Park this month. Indeed, the Magpies could return to winning ways when they welcome Brentford to Tyneside on 16th September, representing the club's final fixture before returning to Europe’s premier club competition.
The Premier League outfit haven’t been handed an easy task if they want to progress from their group, with a trip to the San Siro to face AC Milan lying in wait before clashes with French champions Paris Saint-Germain and German giants Borussia Dortmund await. Therefore, despite a disappointing start to the season, it’s an exciting time to be a Newcastle fan.