‘It’s complicated’ - Bruno Guimaraes admits ‘frustration’ amid £100m Newcastle United transfer backdrop

Bruno Guimaraes has taken aim at the Copa America pitches following Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.

The Newcastle United talisman played 90 minutes as the five-time World Cup winners were held in their Group D opener. Brazil, unsurprisingly, go into the tournament as one of the favourites despite a poor run of form in recent months.

Just two wins from nine games has hardly set the world alight, with new manager Dorival Junior struggling to find a settled team. Guimaraes - whose £100million release clause expired earlier this week - partnered Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes at the base of Brazils’ engine room.

A staggering 19 shots to two and 74 per cent possession reflect Brazil’s dominance but, ultimately, they shared the spoils in Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. Toon ace Guimaraes admitted his “frustration” at the result while questioning the quality of the pitch.

“We’re very frustrated, to be honest,” he told reporters. “I think we had the best chances of the game. But when you wear the Brazil shirt, you have to win, especially games like this. We talked about it for a while. Dorival (Brazil manager), gave us a lot of morale, he gave us confidence.

“We have a lot of faith in his work, everything he asked of us was done, there were just a few details missing. Stay focussed and I believe we’ll qualify. To be honest, it’s difficult to talk about it. You see it in Europe, the pitches, everything. I don’t want to make excuses or anything, but it really favours the team that only defends. It’s difficult to score

“They’re always well placed, it’s complicated - but you have to play. We knew it was going to be like this. We’re not going to complain about regulations or anything but, if we want to match European football, it’s the details that make all the difference. 

“Even with all that, we had plenty of chances, we created a lot, we should have won. To be honest, we should have won. I'm very sad, very frustrated, but mentally we’re going to stay strong to win the next game.”