SEVEN years ago this week, Jamaal Lascelles was part of the Newcastle United side that ground out a 2-0 win at Barnsley to remain in the promotion hunt in the Championship. Skippering the team under Rafael Benitez, Lascelles partnered Ciaran Clark at the heart of a back four that also featured Paul Dummett and Vurnon Anita.
On Wednesday, Lascelles will be back in Newcastle’s starting line-up. This time around, however, both the opposition and sense of occasion will be somewhat different.
Having already drawn with AC Milan and enjoyed a thrilling win over Paris St Germain, the Magpies host Borussia Dortmund in their third Champions League group game knowing that a victory will leave them extremely well-placed to make the knockout stages of the competition. Barnsley or Borussia Dortmund? Maybe it is experiencing the former that makes the latter seem all the sweeter.
“You dream of being a footballer and making it, but to captain the side and beat PSG 4-1 is something, if I’m being honest, I never thought I’d really be involved in,” said Lascelles, who has slotted seamlessly back into Newcastle’s first-choice side in the last month as a replacement for the injured Sven Botman.
“When we were lining up and hearing the Champions League anthem, I managed to take that in and then the noise at full-time was crazy. It’s exciting times at Newcastle for everyone involved. I’d been used to something a lot different, which was staying in the league and fighting for survival each year. To be in this situation now is really special. It’s something new to me, but one I’m really enjoying. I’m enjoying every minute of it.
“I’ve had some amazing days here, gaining promotion and playing in the Premier League since I’ve been captain, and we’ve also had some dark days, but I think that was a special moment for me and my family in captaining this team on such an iconic night.”
For all the talk of Saudi Arabian investment in the wake of the takeover that has done so much to transform Newcastle’s fortunes, Lascelles is part of a reasonably sizeable group of players who have ridden Tyneside’s footballing rollercoaster in the last decade.
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Dummett, who played alongside Lascelles at Oakwell all those years ago, is still in the first-team squad. Fabian Schar, who will partner Lascelles tomorrow, first joined Newcastle in the summer of 2018, Sean Longstaff made his first-team debut in 2018 too. Jacob Murphy joined in 2017, just after the Magpies had won promotion back to the top-flight.
They played at St James’ Park in the dark days, when the chronic lack of ambition of the Mike Ashley era bred apathy and frustration, so can appreciate the value of a vibrant, passionate and now once again thoroughly-engaged home support.
Paris St Germain’s starting line-up last month featured World Cup winners, but the reigning Ligue 1 champions still appeared to be knocked out of their stride by the intensity of the occasion as the Champions League returned to Gallowgate after an absence of more than two decades.
Borussia Dortmund’s players are used to playing in front of their own intimidating home support – Lascelles and his team-mates will experience the ‘Yellow Wall’ at Signal Iduna Park next month – but it will still be fascinating to see how they handle the unique experience of St James’ Park on a European evening.
“Coming here, nobody is going to match our intensity, our passion and hunger, as well as the fans’ desire and how loud they are,” said Lascelles, in an interview with United, Newcastle’s matchday magazine. “As a human being, it doesn’t matter how good you are – it’s intimidating.
“We’ll always have the fans on our side, that’s a given, and then it’s down to us as players to start the games fast, on the front foot, and be aggressive. If we can beat them at that, the rest will take care of itself.”
As he prepares to face Dortmund on Wednesday, Lascelles could be forgiven for pinching himself at the shift in his fortunes in the last few weeks. Last season, he made just 11 appearances across all competitions, six of which were as a substitute, such was his inability to dislodge either Botman or Schar from the starting line-up.
Had that duo both remained fit, he might well have been an unused substitute throughout Newcastle’s Champions League campaign, but instead, Botman’s foot injury opened a door, and to his credit, Lascelles eased himself through it with a poise and confidence that underlines why Eddie Howe was so keen to keep him on Tyneside when there were suggestions of a possible move way this summer.
“I can honestly say I do everything I can in training, both on and off the pitch, to be ready,” said Lascelles, who is into his eighth season as skipper. “I know how football works, but I think it’s important that I know I’m always ready. I got asked to play, and don’t think I did myself any harm.
“It comes from the manager in the way we train, and our fitness levels have improved. It’s not just me, with other lads stepping in and doing really well.
“Every footballer wants to play, but at the same time, as much as I’m a real competitor and so hungry to play, I do understand how things work. You don’t change what’s not broken. If a team is winning games with a really good defensive record, that doesn’t really get changed.
“I respect the manager’s decisions, and I want to do what is right for the badge. All I can do is work hard on myself and be ready when called upon. A few years ago, you may have taken your foot off the gas sometimes, knowing you weren’t going to play, whereas now, you have to prepare for training.
“You have to do everything right, giving 110 per cent and proving yourself on the pitch. I think that’s how it should be as footballers. Just because you’re a name or a superstar signing, I don’t think it matters. It’s whoever performs and deserves the shirt.”
That attitude has served Lascelles well throughout his time as a Newcastle player, and means he continues to look to the future with relish. For all that he feels part of the furniture at St James’, he does not turn 30 until the middle of next month. His current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but given how close his relationship with Howe has become, it would be a surprise if he was not to be offered a new deal.
“Physically, I feel like the same person I was five or six years ago,” said Lascelles. “I’d still say I’m a decent athlete. I look after myself and I think my game has improved.
“I’m a lot more calm. I was a bit fiery and more emotional as a younger captain, whereas now I think about things a little bit more. I love football, and as long as my body can let me play, I would continue for as long as I could.
“Football is a short career, so why not play for as long as you can? It is most people’s dream to be a professional footballer, so I don’t take it for granted because I know many would love to be in that position.”
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