NOT LACKING IN LEADERSHIP

Fabricio Coloccini has rejected suggestions that Newcastle United’s poor form has been down to the lack of leadership in the team.

After the appointment of Steve McClaren in the summer, positivity was expected at St James’s Park. However, it took the club more than 10 games in order to get the first league win under the new manager.

The club recently broke the back in the form of a 6-2 win over Norwich City. However, they were unable to build on this victory and suffered to winless matches before going on to get a narrow 1-0 win over newly promoted Bournemouth, with many questioning Coloccini’s leadership.

There is an opportunity for Newcastle to build on this victory once again as the takeover Leicester City at home. Even though Leicester are flying high in the table, Coloccini and his team are confident of getting a result.

Ahead of the match, the Argentine defender rejected claims that the poor performance has been down to the lack of captains within the team. Coloccini claims that there is a lot of leadership within Newcastle and it is not necessarily exhibited through shouting on the pitch. The win against Bournemouth helped move Newcastle just one point above the relegation zone. Their situation remains critical and the club needs victories soon.

“We have strong characters in this team – that’s not something I’m worried about. Sometimes, when you are having a bet on football, you might not be able to see that from outside the pitch, and maybe sometimes some of the players are not as loud as they should be, but we have leaders. Rob Elliot is a good example because he was injured, but he wanted to play. We have a lot of young players, and they have to learn. Getting the two clean sheets in a row was important,” said Coloccini about the club’s recent form in the league.