Mitch Wilks of 90min has torn into Newcastle United’s Fabian Schar, claiming the defender ‘struggled’ for Switzerland against Serbia at the World Cup.
The Swiss were able to win 3-2 and seal their place in the last 16 thanks to goals from Xherdan Shaqiri, Breel Embolo and Remo Freuler. Their opponents will be Portugal, the winners of Group H.
Handing the defender a 4/10 rating, Wilks laid into the Toon man’s display. He stated: “Thrust into the starting lineup and struggled immensely. Beaten for pace, positioning and strength when it mattered. Would’ve been thankful that Serbia took off Vlahovic.”
TIF Thoughts on Wilks’ comments…
It was definitely a day to forget for Schar. The match against Serbia was Schar’s first appearance of the tournament, but he was only able to register one tackle throughout the game.
But make no mistake, the 30-year-old has had an excellent season for Newcastle.
The defender has kept five clean sheets for the Magpies this season and even has a goal to his name in the 2022/23 campaign. His average Sofascore rating in the Premier League currently stands at 7.24.
Not only is he solid defensively, but Schar is very much a hidden attacking threat for the Toon. He’s in the top 3% for total shots and in the top 6% for shot-creating actions when compared to other defenders over the past year (FBref).
From the stats, it’s clear to see that the Swiss international can be a useful asset at both ends of the pitch for Eddie Howe’s side.
Newcastle fans will hope this is just a temporary blip for Schar. If anything, him playing less often for Switzerland heavily reduces the chance of injury, meaning that he could likely return to Tyneside unscathed despite Switzerland progressing in Qatar.