'Shambles': Bruno Guimaraes lays into 'lazy' Newcastle United following Manchester City battering

We would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the Newcastle United dressing room at full-time on Saturday after Manchester City humiliated the Magpies.

If the air wasn't turned blue with accusatory fingers pointed in all directions, then we'd have to question why they're even bothering.

As our player ratings showed, for us, nobody came away with any credit yesterday, so while nobody in that dressing room would have the right to feel superior, they all had the right to shout at each other and question what the hell happened.

Speaking to NUFC TV after the game, Bruno Guimaraes certainly didn't hold back, calling his teammates out for being lazy. We only hope that he includes himself in that because he was far, far from immune from criticism.

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Bruno Guimaraes probably had to learn a new word for that display

Bruno used the word 'shambles' to describe the performance. As someone who has only been speaking English since 2022, he shouldn't even know the word 'shambles', it feels like he looked it up especially to describe whatever that was yesterday.

"Like I said to the boys in the changing room, I think our strength is working hard and when we don’t work hard, things like this is going to happen.

“We cannot think we are stars because we’ve got to a [Carabao Cup] final, we have to work hard every day. Like I said, our biggest strength is working hard but today we were very lazy. I think Manchester City played well but we were not good at all. We were so late in our pressing.

“We know how difficult it is to come here. I can accept a defeat but not in this way. Shambles.

"We made it too easy for them. Like I said, we were very late in our press and they played through us. They have a lot of good players, we gave them the space and time, and they enjoyed it.

“I am not happy at all. Like I said, I accept the defeat but not the way we lost today. We have to work hard, no matter the reason or game. Everything was wrong.”

It's all just a little bit of history repeating

It is all starting to look like history repeating with the performances dropping heading into a cup final. If we're not careful, we'll find ourselves out of the top four race and going into a game at Wembley with no confidence, getting battered and suddenly our entire season has unravelled.

With another big game on the horizon with Nottingham Forest heading to St James' Park on Sunday next week, Eddie Howe needs to hold an inquest into what went wrong, and he needs to include himself in it as his tactics were so poor.

Last season, Chris Wood returned to St James' Park and bagged a hat trick. We can't allow something like that to happen again.