Eddie Howe has to find a solution to creating chances in the centre of the pitch
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon and Jacob Ramsey need to be at their creative best
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon and Jacob Ramsey need to be at their creative best
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Newcastle United somehow have to negotiate the next two months without talisman skipper Bruno Guimaraes - and then could mean a rejig of Eddie Howe's tactics.
The Brazilian is a creative force in the heart of the midfield, pulling defences open with precision passing and engineering chances like no one else.
His absence is a huge blow, particularly in home games at St James' Park where teams will often sit back and look to hit United on the break.
It is in those situations where his loss will be keenly felt, but Howe will look to his squad to step up and replace Bruno's creative talents. It's not as though United are short of flair players after all.
United passed their first test against Aston Villa on Saturday night, with more to come. It may mean a few new roles, but they have the people to continue to test defences, if used correctly. Here are five who he could look to.
Anthony Gordon
Apart from Bruno, no one can open up defences in black-and-white quite like Gordon.. We saw that against Tottenham, when his explosive run pulled playes out of position and Jacob Ramsey was able to turn home the winning goal.
Nothing create chaos in opposing defences more than the ability to beat a man, and other than perhaps Anthony Elanga, Gordon is better than this than anyone. Whether on the wing or in a more central role, he must continue to ask questrions of backlines to open up opportunities, either for himself or team-mates.
Nick Woltemade
We're constantly told the big striker is more of a No 10 than an out-and-out frontman, and it's clear he prefers to drop deeper. Now is the time for Woltemade to show exactly what damage he can cause in that space between midfield and defence.
He will need someone ahead of him - it's no use winning the ball and creating space if there aren't runners ahead, whether it's Yoane Wissa, Will Osula or players bombing on from midfield.
Jacob Ramsey
We're starting to see the best of the former Aston Villa midfielder, but he'll need to significantly up his creative output in the coming weeks. There's absolutely no reason why Ramsey can't seize the opportunity handed to him by Bruno's unfortunate injury.
He's not he same player but ticks all the boxes when it comes to a box-to-box midfielder who can create chances - and start taking them too.
Joe Willock
It's been something of a Newcastle renaissance for Willock after a time when it looked like his days at the club could be numbered.
He has shown he still has plenty to offer the side, and his ability to break the lines will be needed more than ever. When it comes to through-balls, can anyone remember a better pass that the outside-of-the-foot effort which set Alexander Isak away in that incredible 6-1 win over Spurs in 2023? Time to deliver again.
Sandro Tonali
It's less in a creative sense for the italian, but he simply has to find his best form to hold the midfield together in Bruno's absence. Everythng changed last season when Tonali dropped into the deeper holding role and Bruno moved into the No 8 position.
For a while, he was the best midfielder in that position in the country in my opinion, admittedly with Manchester City's Rodri injured.
He showed against Aston Villa on Saturday night that he can be a goalscoring threat too - long may it continue.
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