FootyChatter.com

EPL Eddie Howe's team struggled again without their Brazilian captain George Wood via Getty Images There is a strong argument to be made that no Premier League player is more important to their side than Bruno Guimaraes is to Newcastle United. On Friday, Eddie Howe had anticipated the question about his side’s winless record without their captain. When it was asked, he bristled slightly, before beginning his response in light-hearted fashion. Advertisement “I wondered how long it would be before that one came up, ” Howe said at his pre-Aston Villa press conference. “Thanks for (reminding me of) that…” A longer answer followed, in which Howe stressed his team needed to come up with an “alternative solution” to playing without their injured captain. Yet, come Sunday, the result was a frustratingly predictable one. Newcastle lost 2-0 and made it 11 Premier League matches that Guimaraes has failed to start since his full debut in March 2022 — none of which Howe’s side have won (six draws and five defeats). The result might have been no different even if the Brazilian had played — third-placed Villa have collected the joint-most points on the road this season (21, level with Arsenal) — but Newcastle’s chances would have improved with their talismanic skipper. Villa were missing John Mc Ginn and Boubacar Kamara, two mainstays of their XI, yet found a way to accommodate their absences. Newcastle, however, never quite filled the Guimaraes void, which was exacerbated further when Joelinton was forced off with a groin problem. It was not that Newcastle were poor, even in midfield, where Lewis Miley deputised as right-sided No 8. But there was a frustratingly familiar feel to their inability to break down a low block — yet, even then, the home side still conjured three Opta-defined ‘big chances’ to Villa’s three, while their expected goals (x G) return was 2. 3 to 1. 16. Without Guimaraes, Newcastle lack material creativity — his ability to dictate and pick incisive passes — and also lack something far less tangible. Guimaraes is their heartbeat; he is their driving force, especially in difficult moments, evidenced by the 11 Premier League goals (eight scored, three assisted) he has been directly involved in this season. “He was a big miss, ” Howe told reporters about Guimaraes afterwards, while praising Miley and Sandro Tonali. “We missed his forward-thinking (passing). He’s always looking for a creative pass. Advertisement “He always wants the ball, demanding it from his team-mates. They’re massive qualities — and his never-say-die spirit and attitude. You lose a lot when a player like that isn’t available. ” After Tonali saw a glorious chance saved inside 37 seconds, Newcastle failed to conjure another shot until the 42nd minute — and, once they fell behind to Emiliano Buendia’s superb opener from distance, it always felt unlikely Howe’s team would recover. Not only were they without their tempo-setter-in-chief, but Newcastle have only won once from behind in the Premier League this season. Without Guimaraes, Newcastle never quite exerted control in midfield. And perhaps that is unsurprising, given he is undoubtedly Newcastle’s most valuable player. There have been two key strands to Guimaraes’ importance: his durability and how influential he is to the outcome of Premier League matches. The most recent occasion that Guimaraes missed a Premier League match due to injury before this ankle knock? Against Crystal Palace, in September 2022 — the last game of a three-game absence due to a hamstring problem. There have been four games missed due to suspension and only one time when Guimaraes has been entirely rested. Between November 2023 and September 2025, Guimaraes set a Newcastle record for consecutive Premier League starts for an outfield player (68), which came amid a run of 94 starts in 95 top-flight games. This season, given the hectic schedule — Villa marked Newcastle’s 35th match of 2025-26 — Howe has tried to manage Guimaraes a little more carefully. He left the 28-year-old out of the stalemate at Bournemouth in September and the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur last month. Yet there have still been 20 starts in 23 league games and seven in seven Champions League matches. Beyond availability, just about all statistics associated with Guimaraes’ Premier League record are impressive. Advertisement In the league since his full debut, no Newcastle player has played more games (140), made more starts (138), featured for more minutes (12, 114) or won as many fouls (379). Only Jacob Murphy (23) matches him for assists. He is also joint-second for goals scored (29, level with Callum Wilson and only behind Alexander Isak’s 54), second for goal involvements (52, behind Isak’s 63), second for passes into the final third (1, 010, behind Fabian Schar) and second for balls into the box (561, behind Kieran Trippier). Undoubtedly, Guimaraes has been Newcastle’s tonesetter since his arrival — and perhaps no Premier League player has been as critical to their side’s fortunes as he is to Howe’s team. Since joining in January 2022, Guimaraes is ninth for Premier League minutes played by outfielders (12, 155) and third for midfielders (behind Bruno Fernandes’ 12, 432 and Declan Rice’s 12, 322), while he is joint-fourth among outfielders for appearances (145). Among Premier League midfielders, Guimaraes’ combined goals and assists (52) rank seventh, without being an out-and-out creator like other midfielders ahead of him on the list, such as Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne. Guimaraes has often operated as a deep-lying No 6 (even if he has largely started as a No 8 since December 2024), yet remained instrumental to Newcastle offensively. What’s more, Guimaraes’ goal involvements have regularly come when Newcastle have needed him most, producing 11 when his side have been trailing (the fourth-most among midfielders). Against Villa, that relentless will to win was missing. Howe suggested afterwards that he has a chance of returning for the mouthwatering trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, while there is hope that Joelinton’s injury is not serious, either. With six of Newcastle’s next seven games in all competitions away, Howe needs his Brazilian duo back, especially Guimaraes — though, as he rightly acknowledges, they also need to uncover an emergency plan to cope with his absence. “We do have to find a way of winning without him, ” Howe said. “We can’t rely on one player. ” Additional reporting by Anantaajith Raghuraman. Chris Waugh is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering North East football and most particularly Newcastle United. Before joining The Athletic he worked for Mail Online, and then reported on NUFC for The Chronicle, The Journal and The Sunday Sun. He has covered NUFC home and away since 2015. Follow Chris on Twitter @Chris DHWaugh