Newcastle United captain produces 'Rafa Benitez throwback' for Eddie Howe at Burnley

The Magpies capped off a memorable 2021-22 season with their 13th victory to take the side up to 11th on 49 points.

Since becoming Newcastle captain in 2016, Lascelles had never seen the side pick up more than 45 points over the course of a top flight campaign until now.

That is despite the club failing to win any of their opening 14 matches and sitting in the relegation zone until February.

On a personal level, it has been a challenging season for Lascelles. Like many Newcastle players, he was the subject of much criticism during the opening months of the campaign with relegation seemingly looming.

Everything from his leadership qualities to his technical ability as a defender were questioned as Newcastle set an unwanted record of conceding the most Premier League goals over the course of a calendar year in 2021 with 80.

The situation was bleak. But a takeover, new head coach and new year offered fresh hope for both Lascelles and the club.

The defender always felt United had enough in their squad and the dressing room to get out of the situation they had found themselves in.

And the January arrivals of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Matt Targett brought some much needed defensive reinforcements not to mention leadership qualities to the side.

But just as Lascelles’ performances had started to improve along with Newcastle’s results on the pitch, he was hit by an untimely sickness bug that would have a knock on effect on his season.

Burn came into the side for his debut and quickly formed a formidable centre-back partnership alongside Fabian Schar. Within three games of Burn’s arrival, Newcastle had already doubled their clean sheet tally for the campaign as the former Brighton defender flourished.

Although Lascelles was promptly back available for selection, the captain would have to be patient for a recall to the first team.

Newcastle had put together a nine game unbeaten run, their longest in the Premier League in over a decade, and Eddie Howe’s reluctance to disturb a winning formula meant Lascelles’ first team opportunities were suddenly limited.

It was certainly an unusual position for a captain to find himself in but in reality it was a true test of the 28-year-old’s leadership qualities during a relegation battle.

Howe has continually stressed the need for a unified dressing room since his arrival and Lascelles has led by example by helping to create an atmosphere for his teammates to excel.

"I have to say, Jamaal has been an exceptional captain for us,” Howe admitted. “The biggest compliment I can give him is that when you are out of the team and I think when you are captain of the club and you are out of the team, how do you act in that moment? It was a real test of his leadership and he responded brilliantly to that challenge and for me, it elevated him as a captain.

"He was positive, he led really, really well around the group and it’s very easy to fall into your own psychology or thinking if you’re disappointed if you’re not playing and let that affect you negatively, he didn’t.

"For me, he elevated his leadership, he's been a brilliant captain on the pitch, he’s been an excellent captain off the pitch.”

Sometimes being a good leader is about stepping back and acknowledging what is required for the greater good of the team.

Lascelles’ start at Burnley on the final day was only his fourth in 16 games since dropping out of the side due to illness in February.

But he didn’t miss a beat against a Clarets side fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table. Both Lascelles and the returning Trippier slotted seamlessly into the side as Howe made two changes from the side that beat Arsenal 2-0 last week.

And that is perhaps one of Newcastle’s key strengths under the former AFC Bournemouth boss.

The manner in which players have been able to come into the side – whether it be Lascelles, Emil Krafth, Sean Longtstaff or Bruno Guimaraes to name a few – and instantly looked comfortable and effective is testament to the meticulous organisation of the Newcastle head coach.

Previously, Lascelles’ limitations and reckless tendencies were exposed through a lack of organisation and cohesion as a team. Now, with the right players supporting him and a head coach who can adapt tactically around its players, it is no surprise that we’re starting to see a Lascelles reminiscent of the player who impressed regularly under Rafa Benitez a few seasons ago.

His second half display against Arsenal and captain’s performance at Burnley go to show that Lascelles can be that well-drilled, physically imposing defender that Newcastle require.

As Burnley lumped the ball forward desperately, the nature of the match suited Lascelles perfectly as he made important tackles, six clearances and won four headed duels to help United secure three points.

He may have played a more back-seat role in Newcastle’s dramatic turnaround to secure Premier League survival than he would have liked, but he was just the type of character and captain Newcastle needed at the time.

While respected servants to the club such as Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle and Ciaran Clark will likely depart this summer, Lascelles could have quite easily fallen into that bracket himself.

But his recent conduct both on and off the pitch shows just why Howe plans on keeping him around.

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