Football fans will rattle on about the best central midfielder in the Premier League.
Arsenal supporters will tell you Declan Rice is the best of the best. Chelsea have Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to call upon. Ryan Gravenberch has been instrumental for Liverpool over the last 18 months. Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton have been excellent for Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, respectively.
In this article, we’ll cover:
However, in the race for this award, there is only one worthy winner.
Howe’s praise for ‘special player’ Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes scored his seventh league goal of the season on Sunday. Newcastle huffed and puffed, and finally found a way past Crystal Palace. Guimaraes found the breakthrough in the 71st minute, heading past Dean Henderson. Malick Thiaw added the Magpies’ second seven minutes later.
A 2-0 win over Palace was fully deserved for a Newcastle side that saw first half goals from Anthony Gordon and Joelinton ruled out for offside. On the whole, Guimaraes put in another exceptional all-round performance. Indeed, the 28-year-old also created one chance and completed one tackle. He made three tackles and two interceptions. On and off the ball, the Brazil international excelled. Again.
“He is a special player, a special person and a special character,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe enthused after Sunday’s victory.
This wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan performance from Guimaraes. No, this was par for the course. To some, Guimaraes is widely regarded as the best midfielder in the Premier League. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who argues with the assessment.
How does Guimaraes compare to the Premier League’s best?
Using Squawka’s Comparison Matrix, we’ve compared Guimaraes with Caicedo, Rice and Gravenberch, three rivals to Guimaraes’ crown. The trio all bring something different to the conversation.
Caicedo is the elite ball winner and distributor. Rice is the creator of the bench. Gravenberch the driving force. That much is clear from the comparison.
The Chelsea star ranks top for tackles per 90 (3), ball recoveries per 90 (6.2) and pass accuracy (90.8%) of the four central midfielders. Rice, meanwhile, takes first place for chances created (1.8) and passes per 90 (65). Gravenberch, meanwhile, pips the quartet for take ons completed per 90 (1) and take on success rate (64%). In terms of final third output, Guimaraes wins for shots (1.3) and goals per 90 (0.4).
That, though, doesn’t quite paint the full picture. You see, while Caicedo, Rice Gravenberch excel in some areas, they fall down in others. This simply isn’t the case for Guimaraes. Yes, he may not rank top for tackles per 90, but 2.2 is second to Caicedo. 1.4 chances created per 90 is second to Rice. 0.7 take ons completed per 90 is second to Gravenberch.
Guimaraes the master of trades
This is what makes Guimaraes the standout central midfielder in the Premier League. He’s not pigeon-holed into a specific role. Rather, Guimaraes is a master of trades in a key area that enables the Newcastle star to carry out a plethora of duties in the middle of the park. And it’s this midfield versatility that means the former Lyon is undoubtedly Howe’s most important player.
Guimaraes started the win over Palace on the right of the midfield in Howe’s favoured 4-3-3 setup. As the minutes ticked by, Howe opted to withdraw Sandro Tonali for Jacob Ramsey, moving Guimaraes infield. It’s part of the reason why the midfielder is rarely, if ever, subbed off. Indeed, he’s been withdrawn just 39 times across 136 Premier League starts since he joined from Lyon.
“Your big players normally decide big games and today was a big game for us, decided by a huge player in our recent history. He’s done it countless times,” Howe said at full time at the weekend. Some were complaining at the decision to withdraw Tonali midway through the second half on Sunday. Guimaraes showed why the Italian was hooked.
Another exceptional showing saw Guimaraes make the Premier League team of the week. Additionally, he boasts a better Squawka score (77%) than any other central midfielder in England’s top tier this term.
So, while there are areas where Guimaraes is trumped by fellow Premier League midfielders, on the whole he ranks among the best in a number of categories. And his ability to place highly for goals, chances created, tackles and take ons, among others, is the reason we need to talk about Bruno as the best central midfielder in England.
