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Newcastle were comfortably swept aside by Arsenal on Monday night, but Andy Cole has heaped praise on Magpies skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
Given that the Gunners have not lost at home in the league since Manchester City beat them 2-0 back in August, and Newcastle haven’t won away in the league since a 1-0 win at Huddersfield in December, Monday night’s affair was perhaps a little predictable.
The hosts never looked threatened by Rafael Benitez’s side if truth be told, and goals from Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette were enough to secure their side all three points.
Cole though, who was in the Sky Sports studio alongside Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher and has 187 Premier League goals to his name, is a huge fan of Lascelles.
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What has he said?
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show, as reported by Chronicle Live (02/04/19, 12:24), Cole said: “He’s a young, promising centre-half who could play a highest level if given the opportunity.
“He’s a great size, has good pace and seems very composed on the ball. If you’re the captain of a club like Newcastle at such a young age, that’s some going.”
Spot on
Quite simply, Cole is absolutely right and it is quite bizarre how quickly the hype around Lascelles has faded away after he received so much credit last year.
The skipper was phenomenal last season, and as Cole states, his combination of physical attributes and composure on the ball is matched by very few.
He has also shown great character to lead a struggling team away from two relegation scraps at such a young age, even if he hasn’t been quite at his best this campaign.
Maybe it is the form of Florian Lejeune and Fabian Schar or maybe it is fans always wanting greener grass than what they have, but Lascelles has suddenly gone from the fans’ hero to perhaps the most under-appreciated player in the squad.
And yet, without the skipper’s commanding presence at the back, one has to wonder how much closer to that bottom three the Magpies may be.
As Cole rightly put it, you must be doing something right to captain such a colossal club at such an early age.
