Newcastle

Newcastle: Howe would unleash ‘Splendid’ Guimaraes partner

Published

12 months ago

October 4, 2023

Silas

Newcastle: Howe would unleash ‘Splendid’ Guimaraes partner

The central midfielder is a proven performer in Europe’s premier cup competition.

Newcastle United return to action in the Champions League at St. James’ Park for the first time since the 2002/03 campaign as they welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Tyneside this evening.

The Magpies battled hard to secure a point away at AC Milan in their first group-stage match last month and will now be hoping for their first win in the competition against Kylian Mbappe and co.

Eddie Howe’s men come into this game off the back of four wins in their last five matches, and four clean sheets in all competitions, which includes a 1-0 EFL Cup win over Manchester City.

They beat Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League last time out, thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron, and the manager could look to make changes to freshen up his side against PSG.

What’s the latest Newcastle team news?

Howe has confirmed that England international Callum Wilson is not set to be available for selection. He is a major doubt for the match due to injury and is expected to miss out.

Central midfielder Joelinton is in the same boat as the former Bournemouth marksman in that the Magpies are going to make a late decision now whether or not he will be involved.

Netherlands U21 international Sven Botman, meanwhile, will definitely not be in the matchday squad, having been out since the 8-0 win over Sheffield United.

The Toon head coach also confirmed that central midfielder Sandro Tonali is ‘fine’ and he must now be unleashed from the start to face PSG under the lights.

Will Tonali start against PSG?

Newcastle’s summer signing from Milan should start against the French giants alongside Bruno Guimaraes in midfield due to his experience at Champions League level.

The Italy international knows what it takes to get results in this competition and proved himself to be an excellent performer on the European stage for his former club last season.

He could come in to replace academy graduate Elliot Anderson, who struggled at times during the win over Burnley. The Scotland U21 international lost six of his 11 ground duels and failed to create a single chance for his teammates in 64 minutes on the pitch.

The ex-Bristol Rovers loanee, who was deployed as a central midfielder, was dribbled past twice and only made one tackle, with zero interceptions to his name.

These statistics suggest that Anderson did not offer much quality to the side in or out of possession. He did not create any chances for his fellow attackers, to go along with one ‘big chance’ missed, and the opposition found it too easy to bypass him in midfield.

How has Tonali performed this season?

Tonali, on the other hand, has been a solid, if unspectacular, performer in the Premier League so far this season for the Mapgies since his move from Milan.

The 23-year-old ace has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.84 across six top-flight matches, which is the 15th-highest score within the squad and suggests that the summer signing has not hit the ground running in England.

He does not rank among the club’s top-three performers for tackles, interceptions, or key passes per game respectively, indicating that the Italian has not been an outstanding player for Howe yet.

Whereas, Guimaraes, for example, has averaged the most tackles (2.3) and the second-most key passes (1.9) within the squad in the Premier League this season and has been a star in the middle of the park.

The Brazil international, who has averaged a much higher Sofascore rating of 7.40 across seven top-flight starts, has also showcased his physical strength with a duel success rate of 56% to go along with his 2.9 tackles and interceptions combined per outing for the Magpies.

How did Tonali perform for Milan last season?

It is worth mentioning that the Newcastle midfielder enjoyed a fantastic 2022/23 campaign with Milan and displayed his ability at Champions League level on a regular basis.

Tonali averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 across 12 matches in the competition as his side reached the semi-finals before losing to Inter, who were then beaten by Manchester City in the final.

The former Brescia starlet caught the eye with his impact at both ends of the pitch as he made 1.8 key passes and 1.9 tackles and interceptions per match for the Italian giants, as per Sofascore.

Only Kieran Trippier (3.1) and Guimaraes (1.9) have produced more key passes per game for Newcastle this season at Premier League level, meaning that the former Serie A star has the potential to be an excellent creative presence in midfield.

Tonali, who won 53% of his ground duels for Milan, also ranked among the top 10% of his positional peers for Expected Assists per 90 (0.25) in those 12 Champions League outings. He was one of the best creators in his position last term and this illustrates the level of player Howe has at his disposal.

The 5 foot 10 dynamo also showcased his quality in the Serie A with 1.8 key passes and 2.6 tackles and interceptions per match across 34 appearances.

His 12 ‘big chances’ created for Milan was an outstanding return as Guimaraes only produced two ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 32 Premier League starts for Newcastle.

The £120k-per-week maestro, who was hailed as “Splendid” by Howe, is yet to show the best of his abilities at St. James’ Park, as shown by his aforementioned statistics, but tonight is the perfect opportunity for him to finally announce himself.

A huge performance under the lights in Newcastle against a European powerhouse like PSG, in the club’s first Champions League home match for two decades, could kickstart his career on Tyneside.

Tonali has the quality, as shown by his form for Milan, to make a big impact on the pitch at this level and that is why Howe must now unleash him alongside Guimaraes tonight to offer him the opportunity to make his mark in a black and white shirt.