- Brazilian media make strong Bruno Guimaraes claim
- Newcastle United captain started for Selecao vs Morocco
- Guimaraes provided an assist for Vinicius Jr’s goal
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes made his long-awaited World Cup debut for Brazil as Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held to a 1-1 draw against Morocco.
He provided an assist in the first half for Vinicius Jr and gave a good account of himself as he was withdrawn late in the game with the Selecao looking for a match-winning goal.
Guimaraes was hardly one of Brazil’s problems. In fact, he was one of their best performers on the pitch, but as a whole, Ancelotti’s side didn’t satisfy expectations, which led to the local media thrashing out a bunch of brutal player ratings.
Bruno Guimaraes shows up but Brazil disappoint
The 28-year-old was chosen to start in a three-man midfield with Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta.
And while Guimaraes showed his class with his energy and first-half assist, Casemiro looked a shadow of his former self and endured a game to forget. In fact, Brazil looked a lot better when Fabinho came on in the second half.
Paqueta, on the other hand, was also underwhelming, due to which Guimaraes had to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the centre of the park.
Writing for GZH, Pedro Ernesto claimed Brazil’s World Cup opener was like a ‘horror’ movie. And while that criticism doesn’t extend to Guimaraes – who played quite well – the Brazilian media still weren’t generous enough with their player ratings.
GZH rated him 6/10, saying, “He had plenty of energy, as usual. He provided the assist for Vini Jr.’s goal. He tired towards the end of the second half.”
Volha Vitoria, on the other hand, were a bit more generous, giving him a 6.5/10.
“The best among the midfielders. He provided the assist for Vini’s goal and prevented a goal from Marrocos.”
Newcastle United captain let down by teammates
One look at Guimaraes’ underlying numbers from the game against Morocco will prove that he simply didn’t have enough support from his teammates.
- 85 minutes played
- 7 touches
- 34/38 (89%) passes completed
- 9 carries
- 6 duels won
- 3 recoveries
- 2 fouls won
- 2/3 tackles won
- 1 key assist
Additionally, Ancelotti’s tactics weren’t up to the mark as they looked static, while too many passes were played between Gabriel Magalhaes and Marquinhos at the heart of the backline.
Their midfielders need to get a grip and take more initiative to thread the needle and open games up. And for that to happen, Guimaraes needs a lot more support from Casemiro and Paqueta, who didn’t show up in the opener.
