Why le comeback kid is set to dominate
CHRIS WAUGH ON WHY ‘FORGOTTEN’ FLORIAN WILL SOON BE ONE OF FIRST NAMES ON THE MAGPIES TEAM SHEET
MIKEL Merino is excelling. Joselu has made the centre-forward berth his own. Even Javier Manquillo has contributed to the Magpies’ promising start to the campaign.
So it is curious that, of all of the six signings Newcastle United made during the summer, it is the one who seemed almost certain to be a regular Magpies starter who has actually played the fewest competitive minutes so far.
Admittedly part of the reason why Florian Lejeune has only featured for the grand total of 34 minutes is that he suffered an unfortunate ankle injury during the opening defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
But, even when fit and available again, the Frenchman has found himself sitting on the bench, remaining merely as an unused substitute.
That will not last for long though.
Lejeune was signed to bring brains, as well as brawn, to Newcastle’s defence – and he will be one of the first names on the United teamsheet in the not-too-distant future, of that there can be little doubt.
Lejeune was arguably United’s most-impressive performer during pre-season and he even leapfrogged Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles to become first-choice centre-back heading into the campaign.
It is only his ankle injury, and Lascelles’ subsequent excellent form, which has kept Lejeune sidelined.
For a start, one issue Benitez is keen to address is United’s lowly average possession.
Across their seven matches, Newcastle have enjoyed just 42.2 per cent of the ball on average - the third-lowest in the Premier League. Only West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City have had lower average possession.
Part of the reason behind that is the counter-attacking style United have adopted in the top flight in order to combat the step-up in quality from last season, when the Magpies were expected to dominate the ball themselves.
But Benitez still believes they should be averaging a higher share of possession. For a start, United’s passsuccess rate is just 70.7 per cent which means three out of every 10 of their passes go astray. Only Leicester’s pass-completion rate is worse in the top flight.
Having a ball-playing defender at the heart of the Newcastle back four would help to address that issue to a certain degree.
Lascelles and Ciaran Clark are extremely competent defenders, but neither is the most comfortable in possession. Lejeune would offer some much-needed composure at the back, helping to start United attacks and allow Newcastle to retain possession for longer periods.
What this Benitez side also lacks at the moment is a player who is the real ‘brain’ in the side, a calming influence who sees the bigger picture and really dictates play for his side from deep.
Every excellent Benitez team down the years have had one: be it Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard or Pepe Reina.
This Newcastle XI does not quite have one yet – Lascelles is still improving gradually, Jonjo Shelvey is yet to establish himself this term, while Mikel Merino is still too young – but Lejeune can take on that mantle. Yet the 26-year-old’s elevation into the first team will not be to the detriment of United defensively.
The last Florian to feature for Newcastle before Lejeune was certainly not renowned for his physicality. Far from it, in fact. Luckily, the early signs indicate that Lejeune will not be from the Thauvin mould – given that he is a centre-back and not a winger, that is essential too.
Clark and Lascelles have been extremely effective from both defensive and offensive set pieces so far this term - the Irishman has scored once, while the United captain has netted twice - but Lejeune, at 6ft 3in, is also an asset aerially.
He is also an excellent reader of the game, allowing him to make interceptions and vital challenges – and he will be able to link up well with the likes of Shelvey and Merino in order to start attacks from the back.
Initially, Benitez identified Lejeune as an option at right-centre-back. The Spaniard prefers his centre-halfs to feature on the same side as their stronger foot, which is why Lascelles has also played the majority of his football there.
That, coupled with Lascelles’ injury during pre-season, contributed to Lejeune beginning the season ahead of his captain in the central-defensive pecking order.
Yet it is believed that, having witnessed how competent Lejeune is with both feet in training over recent months, Benitez has earmarked the former Eibar man as an alternative at left-centre-back too. Clark has been consistently excellent for Newcastle for well beyond 12 months now, yet his form over the last couple of matches has been patchy.
With Clark having spent the last 10 days away on Republic of Ireland duty while Lejeune has been on Tyneside training alongside Lascelles, perhaps a new centreback pairing could be trialled this weekend at Southampton.
But even if Lejeune does not return to the Newcastle starting line-up on Sunday, he will do sooner rather than later.
United’s current centre-backs are performing well together, but Lejeune will bring an extra dimension to the Magpies side – and that is exactly what Benitez desires.