Your Newcastle United headlines for Monday, May 2.
Skipper speaks out
Jamaal Lascelles has urged his Magpies teammates to keep their heads held high after their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool. Newcastle lost at home in the Premier League for the first time this year against Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple hopefuls, with Naby Keita’s strike the difference between the two sides.
The skipper replaced Fabian Schar for the final half an hour against the Reds and spoke post-match about the side’s mentality shift since Eddie Howe’s arrival.
"We have had a big shift in mentality and every game we play now we play to win,” Lascelles said. “That's how we set up. That didn't happen today. We had a couple of chances and they didn't have loads so that's a positive thing. It's Liverpool and we gave our all."
"We knew it was going to be a difficult game. At the same time, we came to win and we set up to do that. Sometimes you just have to give that respect to the other team.
“They are a quality side, we gave our all and left everything out there. We went toe to toe with them at times. I think how we've played over the last couple of months we can keep our heads held high.
"We can look back at what we could have done better. At the same time, Liverpool are a very good side.”
‘It was difficult’ - Bruno
Bruno Guimaraes has opened up on his early days at Newcastle when he had to settle for a place on the bench. Eddie Howe introduced the Brazilian slowly to the rigours of English football, with Joe Willock, Jonjo Shelvey and Joelinton starring in midfield.
His first start did not come until Southampton on March 10 - six games into his black-and-white career. However, Guimaraes’ - and Howe’s - patience has paid off as he is now excelling in the Magpies’ engine room.
The 24-year-old told ESPN Brasil his start to life on Tyneside was ‘difficult’ but he always trusted Howe’s strategy. "It was a difficult adaptation, completely different, “ he said.
“It is the hardest league in the world, without a doubt. The first two weeks were very difficult, but I had confidence in the coach. He talked to me a lot, said he wanted me to understand how the Premier League works, and he wanted me to start some games on the bench.
"It was good for my adaptation, even at the beginning without understanding much, because when you arrive, you already want to play anyway. And it was no different for me. He told me I was going to play, he asked me to calm down, he told me to talk to everyone."
Lejeune happy for Toon takeover
Former Newcastle defender Florian Lejeune revealed he spoke to Joselu about the Saudi-backed takeover. The Frenchman - who left the Magpies permanently last summer - is happy to see his old club released from the shackles of Mike Ashley.
Lejeune and Joselu both ply their trade at La Liga outfit Alaves and the former has spoken to Basque newspaper El Correo about the current state of play on Tyneside.
“I spoke to Joselu about it,” he said. “In the end, I’m happy for them. It’s a club that was struggling, and their fans are very good. They play in a big stadium for more than 50,000 spectators. It was very good in England; it’s a league that has something special.”
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