Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has admitted he is relishing his new role as a creator as well as destroyer for the club.
The Brazilian midfielder has been the star of the show for the Magpies since his arrival from Lyon in a €42m deal at the end of the January transfer window.
After a few weeks adapting he quickly settled into life in the North East, establishing himself as the key man in Eddie Howe’s team as they secured Premier League survival with ease.
He originally arrived as an out and out defensive midfielder, having dominated the defensive stats during his time in Ligue 1.
He excelled at that in his early days in the Premier League but has since adapted his game into more of a box to box role, destroying at one end and creating at the other.
Only Kevin de Bruyne has been more involved in goal actions than him this season and it is something the Brazilian is relishing.
“I never doubted my quality. When I arrived, we had to keep up. This season we’ve had a great run,” he told L’Equipe.
“But my role here is completely different from my role in Lyon I play like a number 8., I often find myself on the edge of the box to pass or score.
“I think that among midfielders, only Kevin De Bruyne is more involved in goal actions in the Championship. That means I do some interesting things. I like this game, defending and attacking. I’m freer than at OL.
“There, I was considered as a retriever who doesn’t have to pass the midfield too much. At Newcastle, I’m a creator. And Tite also wants to use me like that.”
For the next couple of weeks, Guimaraes’ focus is on Brazil and getting them to the final of the World Cup in Qatar.
As with every tournament the South Americans are among the favourites for the tournament, boasting a squad filled with talent from the best teams in Europe.
This current iteration has added more steel to the Samba magic, with the likes of Guimaraes providing a competitive edge to balance out the more offensive and creative players further up the pitch.
It’s something the Newcastle star is very aware of, insisting this iteration of Brazil are ready for the battle.
“We are a team of warriors, you’ll see. We attack with 11 men but we also defend with 11,” he added.
“Even if our attacking players all have enormous qualities, they do a huge job defending and pressing. Look at how Raphinha, Vinicius, Richarlison, Paqueta, Neymar play, the effort… It’s incredible.
“People tend to say that Brazilians can only play with the ball. But we have a very strong team without the ball. If we get the ball high up the pitch, with the attacking quality we have, we can kill games.”
