NEWCASTLE’S Bruno Guimaraes says Premier League pretenders have a “horrible” task dethroning Manchester City.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea will next season join the Magpies in trying to break City’s stranglehold on the top-flight title.
GettyBruno has admitted he hates playing against Man City[/caption]
GettyThe Magpies suffered a 2-0 defeat to City in March[/caption]
But Brazilian midfielder Bruno, 25, admits it feels like men against boys when facing Pep Guardiola’s Treble-winning juggernaut.
He said: “We know Man City are a step above all teams in England.
“It’s the worst game when we play there. I hate it.
“It seems that we are children and they are professionals. It’s horrible.
“It feels like they’re playing with 15 and we’re playing with seven. You look and say, ‘Wow, it looks so blue!’. They’re all crazy good.
“Against Man City, how do you play? You go out there and let them score right away — it’s very difficult.”
Despite the seemingly unstoppable City in their way, Bruno makes no bones about it: Newcastle’s goal is to end their 54-year trophy drought.
Toon lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United but recovered to clinch Champions League football.
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And Bruno said: “The journey has already started — there wasn’t a final for 24 years, then we got to a final.
“There wasn’t the Champions League for 20 years and we’re already there. Next season our goal is to be a champion — to win something.”
Signed from Lyon for £42million in January 2022, Bruno admits he was “scared” to move but that “it was an offer I couldn’t refuse and my dream was to play in the Premier League”.
He soon adapted and has fallen for Newcastle — from Alan Shearer to the pot-bellied Geordie fans who follow their team up and down the country.
A new long-term deal is in the pipeline, with Toon chiefs confident the midfield maestro will be pulling the strings for the next five years.
He added: “At Newcastle, thank God, I’m already an idol. Guys love me a lot. They say, ‘After Alan Shearer, you’re the best signing we’ve made’. It’s the best crowd in England, hands down — it looks South American.
“There’s a fat guy there who even has a NUFC tattoo on his belly — it’s too good. Brazil is the country of football but the English also live a lot for football, they’re crazy.
“I played in France and no, it doesn’t even compare to what football is like in England. I fell in love with it.”
Reflecting on that Wembley defeat to United, Bruno told Charla Podcast: “We were sitting waiting for the coach then out of nowhere, Shearer arrived.
“He wanted to motivate us. He said: ‘I’ve already been there, we lost a final’. I know we lost too but his lecture was awesome. He moved the guys and he was speaking from the heart.”
Meanwhile Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold reckons the club must be faultless next season to mount their own challenge to City.
The England star admits they cannot afford a repeat of last term’s disappointment when they finished fifth.
Alexander-Arnold said: “Would we want to finish fifth next season? No. We want to be winning the league and in Champions League football.
“We know how to challenge City and go toe to toe with them.
“You need to be near-perfect throughout the season — so for us that’s where our heads are at.”