Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles has given his personal reflection over his performances for the Magpies throughout this campaign.
Lascelles was instrumental last season in helping Rafa Benitez’s side finish inside the top ten in the Premier League, in their first season back in the top flight, which saw the Englishman touted for a potential call up to the England squad,
This season though Newcastle are set to finish in the bottom half of the table and Lascelles believes that he has experienced a dip in form in his own performances at times this season.
“Maybe the first half of the season, on a personal level, it wasn’t my best,” Lascelles told the Newcastle match day programme as quoted by the Chronicle.
“Some games I did well, some games not as well, so maybe I should have been a bit more consistent, but I think I’ve found in the last few months performances have started to pick up.”
“I thought I did really well last year, but it’s not really about me. Again, we’ve gone another season and had a lot of people doubting us and we’re going to do another year in the Premier League.”
OPINION
Lascelles has been a very influential figure at St James’ Park since Newcastle earned promotion back to the Premier League in Benitez’s first full season in charge of the club. The Newcastle captain was in excellent form last season as the Magpies secured a finish inside the Premier League’s top ten, but a poor start to this season by most of Benitez’s side meant they have been unable to finish in the top ten again this season. However, it was an unlikely achievement last season by Newcastle to be inside the top ten, so it maybe to have been expected that there has been a little dip this campaign. Lascelles along with his team-mates has improved since the turn of the year, and he will be looking to continue his recent form into next season. Newcastle supporters can begin to look to next season with a bit of positivity, so long as the club, manage to convince Benitez to remain in charge beyond the summer.
