Fabian Schar stunned Newcastle fans against Cardiff this weekend after opening the scoring with a wonderful solo effort.
The centre-back scored a goal that most strikers would be proud of, in a move which displayed his supreme comfort on the ball.
The defender has made plenty of forward runs over the past few matches, but none have had as much success as this one.
Picking the ball up just inside Cardiff’s half, the defender darted forward down the right wing, shrugging off a Cardiff midfielder.
Unchallenged, he continued driving forward into the box, before curling expertly into the far left corner.
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It was arguably poor defending from Cardiff, but it was still a goal of great quality by Schar.
But the defender wasn’t finished and found the net again in the second-half, becoming the surprise match-winner in an eventual 3-0 win.
His second was a much less exciting tap-in from a corner, but it still capped off a phenomenal performance.
Newcastle fans react to Schar’s solo goal
https://twitter.com/TheMackemSlayer/status/1086653406196854789
https://twitter.com/Barmy2Toon/status/1086653269190025217
https://twitter.com/BioslateR/status/1086649771383771136
Move to midfield?
Schar was trialled as a midfielder in Newcastle’s FA Cup replay with Blackburn earlier in the week, and impressed fans with his dominant display.
Along with his goal against Cardiff, there’s hints he could provide a direct attacking approach to the midfield as well as perform defensively.
However Rafa Benitez’s current favouring of a three centre-back formation means he’s unlikely to be used in midfield again.
The Swiss defender is still one of Newcastle’s first choice centre-backs and so will always be favoured in defence.
Due to Newcastle’s league position, Benitez is unlikely to risk experimentation.
For Benitez to risk playing Schar in midfield, he needs all of his centre-backs consistently fit.
But a lot of fans would certainly love to see the Swiss international moved up the pitch.
Unfortunately for Benitez, his goal against Cardiff will only increase the pressure from fans and the media to better utilise Schar’s talents.
