Bruno Guimaraes has given a damning assessment of Chelsea following their loss to Newcastle United on Sunday.
The midfielder helped the Magpies to beat Enzo Maresca‘s side 2-0, scoring a deflected shot at the very end of the game.
It saw Newcastle move to third in the Premier League table, while Chelsea remain in fifth. Eddie Howe’s men were helped by Nicolas Jackson’s red card, which has now left the Blues without a recognised striker for their final two fixtures of the season.
Chelsea got off to a very poor start at St James’ Park, conceding in just the second minute, and Guimaraes has since discussed that goal.
Bruno Guimaraes on Chelsea’s slow start to games
It has been claimed that some at Chelsea have doubts about Maresca’s football, and those doubts would not have gone away on Sunday.
His team played quite poorly in the first half, and slow starts to matches are not unusual for them, according to Guimaraes, who shared Newcastle’s analysis of Chelsea after the game.
“We have seen from the start about Chelsea that they start a little bit slow,” the Brazilian was quoted as saying by The Northern Echo. “We try to score first, and we did this. I think this was a big one for us. We enjoyed scoring first and this was part of the gaffer’s plan, so give him some credit.”
It was obviously not the result that Chelsea wanted, but Champions League qualification is still in their hands.
If they can beat Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, that should wrap up their spot in the top five.
Jamie Carragher recently made his top-five prediction and expects Chelsea to miss out, however.
Bruno Guimaraes rattles Enzo Fernandez
If Chelsea do manage to qualify for Europe’s elite competition, then they will have the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to thank.
They have been excellent this season, though Fernandez was not able to stamp his usual authority at St James’ Park.
His South American rival Guimaraes really got to him that day, with Fernandez seen wagging his finger at his opponent late in the match, something that was picked up by Chronicle Live.
Footage of Guimaraes blowing a kiss towards Fernandez following his goal is also circulating online, a moment during the game that would have annoyed the Argentine. Truly, then, it was an afternoon for the 24-year-old and Chelsea to forget.
