What Happens With Fabian Schär Now Newcastle United Are Playing With A Back Four?

Something deeply ironic about Newcastle United’s style of play, both at the end of last season and for much of this one, is the fact that their defence contained some of their better footballers. Under Rafael Benitez, Fabian Schär and Florian Lejeune flourished as part of a back three, in a system recently discarded after months of usage by Steve Bruce.

Two superb goals by Schär, against Cardiff City and Burnley, caught the eye, while in between two horrific knee injuries, Lejeune proved himself to be a superbly cultured centre back. Usually alongside robust and physical captain Jamaal Lascelles, the pair of them worked well in bringing the ball of from the back and starting attacks. For a team often dismissed as direct and ugly to watch, Newcastle often didn’t get the credit they deserved for their multifaceted backline.

Once Lejeune succumbed to injury again, and Schär lost the form which recently earned him the North East Football Writers’ award for 2019, things started to go downhill. Their combination with Lascelles was a mainstay under Benitez, but hasn’t been an option as regularly for Bruce, who instead prefers the likes of Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark; the latter is now suffering from a serious injury himself and will be out for the remainder of the season.

With everyone fit, Newcastle have six options in the middle of the defence, including Paul Dummett, another long-term absentee; this level of strength in depth has rarely been seen on Tyneside, and never in that position. Yet, Benitez added Schär and Fernandez, who signed a one-year extension to his contract this week, in his final summer with a switch to five at the back in mind. Now that a four-man defence is back in favour and, despite Bruce’s well documented doubts over its return, working well so far, there have to be questions over some of those players’ futures. With just two places in the team now up for grabs instead of three, the volume of options seems like overkill, and from their point of view, fewer opportunities of regular football might turn heads.

Schär, originally seen as cover when signed, has grown into a fan favourite; his style of play has impressed many, but there is logic behind the belief that the Swiss will be closest to the exit door in the summer if, as expected, the new system is here to stay.

Fernandez’s new commitment should ensure he won’t be going anywhere, while the captain himself is unlikely to be usurped. Dummett, being an academy graduate and local of the area, has more ties to Newcastle, while Lejeune, who is also likely to consider his future, is more trusted in a pair, having played that way in his debut season in England. Bruce has never hidden his admiration for Schär, but the mazy runs, pinpoint passes and close control in tight areas which have made him such a success at St James’ Park are more accepted in the freedom of a back five. There have been doubts cast as to whether he is suited to less protection alongside him on a consistent basis; Bruce hasn’t shown as much trust in him.

Nevertheless, even with his struggles this season, which included a hamstring injury at the start of the calendar year, Schär is still one of the better players at Bruce’s disposal. If the manager is as committed to playing a more open, expansive brand of football in the future, and the early signs are that Newcastle have looked better with the shackles off lately, then keeping Schär is important. He can set the tone and put attacks in motion from deep, something ‘no nonsense’ teammates such as Lascelles and Fernandez, aren’t nearly as adept at doing.

Whether Schär will start the clash with Sheffield United on Saturday is doubtful because of the strength of the partnership ahead of him, which has yielded successive Premier League clean sheets. Equally, it could be the biggest test of four at the back yet, with the Blades adopting their own take on 3-5-2 and enjoying a lot of success under Chris Wilder while doing so.

But a bigger cloud hovers over the match, football and the world generally; Coronavirus is sweeping the globe and fears are growing. The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is chairing an emergency meeting on Thursday; it is expected that the country’s response to the crisis will be increased, and big sporting events could be cancelled or played behind closed doors. That would be a huge blow for Newcastle, who have two huge home games coming up, but ultimately public health is the only thing that matters.

The situation is constantly evolving and it is a very difficult time for everybody. Bruce has insisted his side will remain focussed on their jobs until decisions are made, and as things stand, it is full steam ahead with the weekend’s game. Schär’s involvement could be very telling; there won’t be many supporters who will want to see him leave, but he’ll certainly have to prove himself all over again to keep speculation at a minimum.