True captain’s display showed what Lascelles could become

SKIPPER INSTRUMENTAL AND NOW UNITED LOOK A DIFFERENT BEAST THAN WEEKS AGO

NEWCASTLE United are starting to build up momentum again – and that is exactly what you need in this league.

Back-to-back wins will really have seen the confidence start flowing through their veins, and they can head into this weekend’s clash with Stoke fully believing they can make it three in a row.

What pleased me most about the win over Swansea was that Newcastle looked so at ease.

Rafa Benitez may not have been there, but that performance very much had his fingerprints all over it. The Magpies were compact, organised and disciplined.

His staff communicated Rafa’s message perfectly and I cannot remember a Newcastle performance that was as comfortable as that.

Never for a second did I think United wouldn’t get at least a point from it. With 20 minutes left I said we’d score a winner – and sure enough it arrived.

It came via Jamaal Lascelles, who was exceptional.

I have said before in this column I believe Lascelles has a number of gears he can go up. I think he finds parts of the game so comfortable at times that he is prone to lapses in concentration.

But when he is fully focused he has all the attributes to be a very good Premier League centre-back.

He is maturing all the time and, at the age of 23, is developing into a real leader.

What he needs now is consistency. He has established a very strong partnership with Ciaran Clark over the last 18 months and it’s just a case of developing that further.

This Saturday, he must demand another performance from his team-mates as well.

Stoke will offer a tough test – they always do – and Newcastle will need to show the same drive, desire and intensity they displayed in the win against West Ham in order to claim all three points.

It’s all about accruing as many points as possible at this early stage of the season.

We saw during the relegation season that Newcastle just couldn’t build enough points early on, and they were always facing a losing battle.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are in the same situation at the moment. Bad results can snowball, just like positive results can too.

Wins breed wins and every member of that squad will, on the back of two straight victories and clean sheets, believe Stoke can be put to the sword on Saturday.

St James’ Park will be rocking once again for Rafa’s return from illness and I expect another strong performance.

Another three points are there for the taking – but only if Newcastle keep their performance levels high.