Lascelles expecting to play "on the front foot"
Newcastle captain and centre-back Jamaal Lascelles is expecting his team to play "on the front foot" as they head to Anfield this weekend to take on Liverpool and Lascelles is confident his team will still be playing Premier League football come September.
Rafa Benitez's side have been criticised and compared to Manchester United this season when playing against top six opposition, as Benitez has been accused of adopting tactics made famous by Man United manager, Jose Mourinho, of 'parking the bus'.
But last months 1-0 victory against Manchester United saw Newcastle adapt a much more positive and attacking attitude when facing a top six side and the Magpies were rewarded with a famous victory and a crucial three points.
However, that victory is old news now and focus is now being turned to this weekend's trip to Liverpool to take on Jurgen Kloop's side, who come into this game on the back of a 4-1 victory against an in-form West Ham side.
With 65 golas in just 28 league matches this season Liverpool are one of the most dangerous attacks in the Premier League but Lascelles is confident with the buzz in the dressing room he and his team-mates can match Liverpool's performance on Saturday.
“We’ll be working hard in the next few days and focusing our preparation for the game,” said the Magpies skipper.
“It’s a tough game, but I definitely think we can beat them.
“Okay, we were quite disappointed with the result the other day (at Bournemouth), but the way we’ve been playing against Man United and Bournemouth, our confidence is really high. We’re going to be on the front foot against Liverpool.”
Last weekend in the final ten minutes Newcastle were sat in the top half of the table but after two late goals courtesy of Adam Smith and former midfielder Dan Gosling, Newcastle dropped two points and fell to 15th just two points above the drop zone.
This weekend Newcastle kick-off at 5:30 and with Southampton hosting Stoke City the pressure could be piled on even more before kick-off on the Magpies, forcing them to get a result at Anfield and continue their fight for survival.
Lascelles was a key part of last seasons success and has remained key in the heart of Newcastle's defence this season and it is clear to see that Lascelles has a close relationship with Benitez, especially after the Spaniard named Lascelles as captain early in his reign at St James Park.
“Since the manager has been here, the club has been on the rise and the city has been really upbeat,” said Lascelles.
“Things have been really going well, so we are going to try to keep it that way. At the minute, we are playing really good football.
“We wish we were in a better position than we are, but there are still ten games left and the way we are playing, I think we are going to be more than safe. Everyone is really confident with each other, and with a manager like this behind us, that brings even more confidence.”
Credit to Sky Sports for the imagery used in this article.