OPINION
Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has made quite the impact at St James’ Park in the last couple of games.
The 6ft 1in Switzerland international [Source: Transfermarkt] came on for injured captain Jamaal Lascelles in the win over Watford and kept his place with the skipper still sidelined against Bournemouth.
The Magpies have been victorious in both games and, while credit cannot be given to the former Deportivo man alone, it’s indisputable that the 26-year-old has excelled since coming into the team.
He even played on with a broken nose against the Cherries on Saturday after colliding with team mate Salomon Rondon in the first half.
However, Schar has told the Chronicle that the decision to play on was an easy one: “We all know we have to do everything,” he said.
“My nose doesn’t look straight but it’s all about the win. The nose will get better soon. I had the same last year and the nose doesn’t look straight now, so, yeah, it’s broken. But most important is the win; the nose will get better soon.”
That is the sort of attitude that Newcastle need and is something that is indispensable for a team that will likely be in a relegation battle for much of the season.
Rafael Benitez needs players who are willing to put it all on the line for the badge and Schar showed that he was willing to do that on Saturday.
Despite the pain he continued to deliver a solid performance against a team that have made a terrific start to the campaign in Bournemouth.
The Magpies fans will surely love his attitude, here. It’s all about the points and Schar recognises that. He’s been tremendous in the past couple of games and it would be really harsh for him to lose his place once Lascelles returns to full fitness.
Having said that, the Swiss star clearly has his own, albeit minor, injury to focus on – although that won’t stop him putting in fantastic performances for Newcastle.
