Jamaal Lascelles wears the captain’s armband, but he is not the leader Newcastle United need.
As you can see just from reading the title of this article, I have reached my boiling point with Jamaal Lascelles. I can understand why Steve Bruce refused to switch things up in terms of naming a new captain when taking over as manager, but a change is needed now. The captain of a football club does not have to be the most experienced player, nor do they have to be the most talented player. The attributes they do need include: vocal leadership, personal accountability, being critical of others, and being well-disciplined.
This season, I have not seen any of these attributes from Lascelles. The 25-year-old’s lack of leadership has been reflected in the team’s inconsistent form this season, especially their lack of urgency when playing at St. James’ Park. The boos we all heard at halftime and at the end of the game on Saturday came as a result of the team’s lack of energy and innovation. The entire team is to blame for this, but those who are primarily responsible for such performances are Steve Bruce and Jamaal Lascelles.
Lascelles is not getting the best out of the players around him and it is one reason why the Magpies find themselves among the bottom five with five points from six games. In fact, Lascelles almost cost the Toon two precious points against Tottenham when he took down Harry Kane in the box, and he repeated the same mistake against Liverpool when he pulled down Joel Matip. Fortunately, VAR decided they were not penalties, but others are not convinced.
Anyway, the point here is that Lascelles has been clumsy and has made too many careless errors that could have been costly so early in the season. A captain must consolidate passion and reliability. For this reason, I am proposing that Fabian Schar becomes the team’s captain.
Captain Schar
Fabian Schar is one of only two leaders in this squad, with the other being Matt Ritchie, but Schar truly leads by example. The Swiss international defender is a special player and the Toon are lucky to have him. As a defender, Schar is confrontational and hardly lets attackers get past him. He is quick to close open lanes and makes decisive tackles in critical areas near the penalty area. In addition, Schar was one of our top scorers last season with four goals and he has continued that trend with his goal against Watford before the international break.
His unwavering work ethic on both ends of the pitch is a major reason why he is a fan favorite. There is no doubt in my mind that Schar would make a better captain than Lascelles. Well, he already is, he just needs the armband to make it official.