Bruno Guimaraes puffed out his cheeks and said 'wow'. After the second, much-needed victory of Newcastle United's Premier League season over Nottingham Forest at St James' Park on Sunday, the Brazilian was full of praise for defenders Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman.
Even though Guimaraes scored the opening goal before Nick Woltemade's fourth goal in five starts from the penalty spot, it was Newcastle's rearguard which provided the foundation for a superb victory.
It is now five clean sheets in seven league games this season, and a huge reason for the latest was the burgeoning relationship between Thiaw and Botman.
Bruno Guimaraes: 'Thiaw and Botman are Newcastle's future'
“What a player, what a player," gushed Guimaraes when asked about Thiaw's impact after joining Newcastle from AC Milan this summer. "He surprised me a lot; he is very good with the ball, without the ball. He is quick, smart, breaking the lines.
“He and Sven are the future of this club. They are very comfortable with the ball, they don’t feel the pressure. They have been amazing together.”
Thiaw is the player Newcastle's defence has been crying out for. While Fabian Schar, who is back fit after a few games out to due concussion protocols, has never let Newcastle down and proven himself as one of Eddie Howe's most trusted lieutenants for a number of years, his age and lack of pace, particularly when partnered with Dan Burn, have always been cause for concern. Both are 33 and there needed to be a contingency plan.
That is what Newcastle hoped Thiaw would be when he arrived. Usurping such a reliable and experienced partnership was always going to be a daunting task, especially with Howe's high demands of new signings and adjusting to a different league and pace of football. But Schar's absence offered an earlier opportunity than many expected, but he hasn't looked back.
After battling two serious knee injuries over the last couple of years, Botman is finally looking like he is back to his best, too. His lay-off has clearly taken a toll; he has struggled for consistency, perhaps in part due to difficulty fully trusting his body again, but also the fact neither Schar or Burn warranted being dropped for him.
Howe said after Wednesday's 4-0 Champions League win over Union Saint-Gilloise that Botman is playing his best football since his injury return, and it is hard to argue. Somehow, he has never been capped by the Netherlands, but he is surely on course to end that wait, and it has likely only gone on this long due to his lack of fitness.
Together, Thiaw and Botman provide a new level of steeliness at the back. They ooze confidence which spreads to the rest of the team, and the extra mobility they provide over Burn and Schar allows Newcastle to push higher up the pitch.
The first half was cagey in an attacking sense, neither side were able to impose themselves and in truth it was reflected in a tame atmosphere at a usually raucous St James' Park. Forest had scored six goals on their last two visits, hurting Newcastle by exploiting space in behind. Two years after scoring a hat-trick on that ground, Chris Wood was rather anonymous.
When Newcastle began to assert themselves after half time, Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton dominated the midfield. But they were able to play through the lines because of the ammunition fed from the defence; while Schar's ability to open up the pitch with effortless switches of play out wide has been missed, Thiaw's accuracy in central passing lanes is proving a huge asset for Newcastle already.
Howe has rarely opted against picking Burn when he is available, and he likely won't need to with both Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall facing spells out with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.
Momentum has been difficult to find for Newcastle this season, but after their biggest Champions League win ever in midweek, Guimaraes was pleased to build further with three points in the Premier League.
“It has been a tough week,” the Brazil midfielder said. “We have been speaking a lot about consistency and for the first time this season we got two wins in a row. It is a very important moment.
“The first half we weren’t at our best. They blocked us and we tried to play short. It was not that type of game; we needed to put the ball in the box. We tried to do that more in the second half but in football, sometimes 1-0 is enough. We knew who scored the first goal today would probably win the game.
“In the Premier League it is most important to not concede. If you don’t concede you are closer to winning the game. We have quality players in attack who need one chance to score."
This week has shone a new light on Newcastle United's season. After the disappointment of the Arsenal loss a week ago, the response has been emphatic.
This team has strong foundations forming with an exciting defensive pairing. As Guimaraes says, Thiaw and Botman are the future.
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