Newcastle United's stand-in skipper Malick Thiaw has opened up on the exit of Bruno Guimaraes, insisting the show must go on at St James' Park.
Thiaw was handed the captaincy on his debut on his 25th birthday and capped it with a 2-1 win over Valencia, guiding a defence through the night after they'd started in a shaky manner as new signings were bedded in.
Turning the Page
When asked if it was time to turn the page after the exit of Bruno, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Kieran Trippier, Thiaw told Chronicle Live: "100%. You lose a really great player and even more, a really great person."
"We have to be grateful for what Bruno did for Newcastle as well. It's sometimes how football works, you have to turn the page. We have great players as well. We have a good team still, and we can achieve something."
New Roles and Challenges
Thiaw admits that the loss of so many senior players - along with Eddie Howe - is a concern, but he remains optimistic that the new team can gel together in what CEO David Hopkinson dubbed 'Newcastle 2.0'.
He said: "All of these players are great players and great leaders. Of course, they will be missed, but we have a great team now. We can create enough, and players have to step up. We all have new roles now, and it's a good challenge for us. We have a lot of quality and potential."
"That's how football works, you have to keep going and be optimistic, and play the way the coach wants to play now."
Captaincy Decision
New manager Matthias Jaissle has some big decisions to make as he continues to assess his squad, none moreso than over who wears the armband now that Guimaraes has left the club. He opted for his fellow German Thiaw, who could keep it on Wednesday night against Everton, although Dan Burn may come into contention.
Thiaw said: "It was a big honour for me. It was a pleasure for the coach to give the job for the day. I don't know (if I will get it full-time), but if he does, then I will try to do my best to be in the role."
"I am in the role to lead but that's not just as skipper - it's all of us. I'm very happy with it."
Looking to Improve
Newcastle are trying to better last season's 12th place finish with Thiaw in confident mood ahead of a new start. The Germany international said: "Last season wasn't the best in the Premier League. We had the quality to perform much, much better."
"This season is the same. Newcastle should always aim for better. Last season is gone - we can only aim for this season and be really motivated. We know we have to do better, especially with this team now. We have new ideas, and there's a feeling there's something going on, so let's take it and go for it."
Jaissle's Impact
Jaissle's arrival strengthened the German connection at St James' Park, with the new boss adding to Thiaw and Nick Woltemade. The centre-half, though, hadn't encountered the 38-year-old before although he was aware of his reputation through footballing circles in his homeland.
"I knew him - he is a really good name in Germany," Thiaw explained. "I didn't know him personally but he is well known."
"Professionally he has been great and all of the team like him. We are looking forward to him being in charge."
"Every coach has a different idea. There's a clear structure and clear plan. He knows how he wants to face opponents and we are always facing forwards. Intensity is really high but this is the first week."
"We are very optimistic. It's a clean slate but there are things we can do and improve. It was a really good test in Valencia but the feeling from the team and the staff is really positive. We are really looking forward to it all."
