Fabian Schar revitalised: Dropped by Steve Bruce, crucial for Eddie Howe

Fabian Schar can see things clearly.

Raking passes to the left wing. Onrushing attackers. Financial markets (he trained as a banker back home in Switzerland as a teenager).

And, at the beginning of last season, he could clearly see that his long-term future lay away from St James’ Park — he started just two of Newcastle’s first 11 league games and was increasingly downbeat under then-manager Steve Bruce.

But then the club got new owners and Eddie Howe took over. Schar — and Newcastle’s defence with him — was transformed.

This season, things are different: the 31-year-old has started almost every match and is unbeaten in a Newcastle shirt.

Suddenly, in his fifth season on Tyneside, he is an essential part of the team.

This is the story of how Schar has been remoulded as one of the Premier League’s most important defenders.

FC Wil live in the shadow of their larger neighbours St Gallen.

Stuck in the Swiss second division and only semi-professional, in late 2009 they were also dealing with an unprecedented injury crisis. Sporting director Axel Thoma, also in charge of Wil’s reserve side, was tasked with finding a solution.

“I decided to search through all our youth teams,” he tells The Athletic. “And there was Fabian, playing at a very low level. Although he was 17, nobody gave any credit to him. They thought he was lazy, unambitious.”

Usually St Gallen, only 20 miles away, hoover up the most talented players from the area. But Schar’s father, Martin, was on the board at Wil, so at the age of seven Fabian joined their local team. However, it looked like he wasn’t going to make it professionally so, after leaving school, he began an apprenticeship at Raiffeisen Bank.

“My own son is a bit like Fabian,” explains Thoma. “He’s quiet, silent, and calm — and some people understand that wrongly. I saw that he had really good technical skills, that he was very athletic, and so I brought him into the second-team set-up.”

Schar had been playing as a midfielder and previous coaches he’d worked under wanted to highlight his long passing.  Thoma decided to change things:

“He wasn’t fast enough to play on the wing or further forward. His strengths are the important thing. He had the technical skills to open up the game. He was calm, courageous, asked for the ball. He was very good with his head. So defence was best for him.

“Other teams needed three or four passes to switch the play. He could do it in one. The wingers knew to react. Our play was so fast, this was our tactic.

“Then, at the end of his season in the second team, I told the club president I wanted to offer him a professional contract. He said I was crazy. So I said I would remove another player to make space for him — I wanted him in the first team.”

Wil finished fifth, sixth and fourth in the second tier over the next three seasons, despite having far fewer resources than other sides in the division. By 2011-12, during which Schar turned 20, he was one of the stars of the team and was in the Switzerland Under-20 squad.

Despite his position in defence, he also took the club’s penalties and averaged a goal every six games. That tally was helped by the spectacular, such as a 70-yard lob against FC Aarau in October 2011 — his second goal of the match in a 3-2 win.

Other clubs took notice.

Basel were the giants of Swiss football — regulars in the Champions League group stage. Sporting director Georg Heitz had constructed a squad replete with domestic talent, including goalkeeper Yann Sommer and captain Marco Streller in an attack that also included a young Mohamed Salah.

“We were the dominant team,” Heitz says. “Everybody would always park the bus against us. So it was always a challenge to find defenders capable of building from the back.”

Wil were happy to sell, needing the money to invest in facilities. They also had a sell-on clause. Schar made the short journey to Basel in 2012, though their starting XI was thought to be some distance away.

“When he arrived he made a few mistakes defensively, because he’d previously been an offensive midfielder,” remembers Heitz. “But you could see his intelligence, his passing skills.

“I said, ‘Listen, Fabian. Maybe we’ll have to loan you, to give you minutes. It’s going to be very complicated (for you) to play here’. And he said, ‘No, no. Let’s wait and see — I will make it’. And he made it pretty quickly.”

Having missed the beginning of 2012-13 because he was playing in the Olympics’ football tournament in the UK, Schar started his first league game two months into the season and scored his first goal a week later. He started 21 of the next 26 league games as Basel won the league title. He was named Swiss Rookie of the Year.

The side were coached by Murat Yakin, who had been the best centre-back in Switzerland in the early 2000s — he now manages the Swiss national team — and the person Heitz credits with developing Schar’s defensive nous. Heitz also mentions the mentoring roles played by former Switzerland captains Streller and Alex Frei.

Having made his senior international debut in August 2013, Schar’s most memorable moment in a Basel shirt came later that year in the final minutes of a Champions League tie at their St Jakob-Park.

Needing a win over visitors Chelsea to retain a chance of qualification for the knockout phase, Schar sent an arrowed, 60-metre pass to Salah, who was sprinting down the left wing. Salah gathered it in his stride to give Basel a 1-0 win. More on this goal later.

“He was always self-confident, but never arrogant,” says Heitz. “Straightforward. One day (in 2015), he came to my office and told both myself and the president that he felt it was time for him to move on. He’d been there three years and won the Swiss league each year. So we had no desire to complicate his move.”

His 2o15-16 debut season across the border in Germany with Hoffenheim was a challenge. Schar was starting as the middle centre-half in a back five and Hoffenheim looked destined for relegation, seven points from safety. In the February, coach Huub Stevens resigned due to health reasons, and the under-19s coach stepping up — Julian Nagelsmann.

Guided by their 28-year-old head coach, Hoffenheim won seven of their remaining 14 matches, with Schar playing a crucial role. His goal against Hertha Berlin lifted Hoffenheim out of the relegation zone with four games to go and the club were able to stay up.

A young Joelinton made his first appearances at Hoffenheim that year, too — while another Newcastle link also presented itself.

“Earlier that season, we’d finished our pre-season against Bournemouth,” said Lutz Pfannenstiel, a director at Hoffenheim then. “Eddie Howe was coaching them and Fabian played a really, really good game. Bournemouth technical director (Richard Hughes) identified him as a player they were interested in, and talked to Eddie. He was on their radar. But he’d only just signed for Hoffenheim.”

Bournemouth had signed the left-footed Nathan Ake from Chelsea and were searching for a right-footer to complement the Dutchman. Schar was the ideal option, but the clubs could not agree a fee.

Schar’s second season at Hoffenheim was a personal disappointment. Though the club soared to finish fourth in the Bundesliga — then the best result in club history — Schar lost his place after suffering a few minor injuries. Despite appearing a perfect fit for Nagelsmann’s counter-pressing style, he only made three league starts — and was substituted at half-time in one of those.

It was time to move on.

Clubs in Italy, France and Spain were interested. A deal had been agreed with one major French club, but Schar preferred a move to Deportivo La Coruna in north west Spain.

Despite a talented young squad also including future Real Madrid star Fede Valverde, Deportivo were relegated from La Liga. Schar played 25 league games as part of a back four, but was dropped by coach Clarence Seedorf towards the end of the season.

His relegation-release clause kicked in. Celtic, Lazio and Eintracht Frankfurt were interested. Newcastle needed a centre-back, but only had a small budget.

Schar’s knockdown price of €3.5million (£3.1m, $3.8m) appealed. Manager Rafa Benitez later admitted he would be “lying” if he claimed the Swiss defender was his first-choice target after two underwhelming seasons.

“It was a bargain. Fucking hell,” Schar told NUFCTV last week.

It certainly appeared that way in his first season.

Schar excelled as the right centre-back in a back three also featuring Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune — Benitez had switched from his previously favoured 4-2-3-1 formation a third of the way through the campaign.

Benitez — and Bruce after him — seemed to feel that playing the three centre-backs compensated for each member of the trio’s weaknesses. Schar’s distribution outweighed what the coaching staff perceived as rashness and a lack of aerial dominance, especially when compared with the more-limited Lascelles.

But, despite the reservations, Schar impressed to such a degree that he was named the 2019 North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year.

He was also linked with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan following that first season at St James’ Park.

It was after Bruce was appointed in the summer of 2019 that life became more difficult for Schar. From appearing regularly to begin with, he was relegated to fourth choice when the team went to a back four in February 2020.

Bruce, a former title-winning centre-back at Manchester United, felt Schar had at least one mistake in him each game, particularly when used in a back four, despite playing in the system throughout his successful stint with Basel. Across that whole 2019-20 season, his only start in a back four before the COVID-19 break started in mid-March was in a 5-0 defeat away to Leicester City.

While he was also very occasionally used as a defensive midfielder, Schar grew unsettled.

Though the club exercised an option to extend his contract by 12 months, Bruce wanted to replace the Swiss for the majority of his tenure. The nadir came at the beginning of last season, when Schar only appeared in 180 of a possible 720 league minutes.

Following the takeover in the October that brought new ownership and Bruce’s sacking, Howe found a disillusioned Schar — his negative body language being obvious on the pitch. They had a one-on-one meeting during the November international break and Schar was told it was “a new chapter” under the coach who had eyed him as a potential Bournemouth signing six years earlier.

Unlike his predecessors, Howe was willing to play Schar in a back four.

Save for his opening game in charge and a defeat at Chelsea, Schar has always played in a quartet under Howe, starting 41 of 46 Premier League matches. Schar has been empowered, and Howe has recognised his unique qualities. “He fits my mould of what I want in a centre-back,” Howe said.

At the head coach’s request, Schar signed a new contract in April, despite interest from France, Italy and Germany.

Within 14 months, Schar has gone from an outcast to one of Newcastle’s most important players.

The secret? Three tactical tweaks:

Empowered to play diagonals to the left

Schar has a calling card — his exceptional long-passing ability, particularly diagonals out to the left, dropping balls into the stride of an onrushing winger.

That assist to Salah in November 2013 we mentioned earlier is one early example.

Moments after snuffing out a two-on-one, Schar picks the ball up deep. Spotting Chelsea right-back Branislav Ivanovic is on his heels, he fires a pass out to Salah.

Salah, having slid the ball past Petr Cech for what turned out to be the winner, points at Schar back downfield in celebration, acknowledging the centre-back’s role in the goal.

Under Bruce, Schar’s willingness to play these passes went down dramatically — seemingly due to a loss of confidence.

Schar’s shot-creating actions per 90 minutes at Newcastle (defined as the two offensive actions directly before an effort on goal) fell dramatically after an outstanding start, reaching a low point during a miserable 2020-21 season.

Schar’s shot-creating actions/90

Minutes SCA/90

2018-19

1999

1.44

2019-20

1672

1.35

2020-21

1246

0.65

2021-22

2158

1.29

2022-23*

1603

1.80

So far in 2022-23, according to Opta, Schar has produced 1.8 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, placing him in the top one per cent of centre-backs. Many of these have been produced by such raking balls out to the left, which Howe encourages him to play.

This empowerment was visible from Howe’s early days midway through last season.

Here, during an otherwise woeful 4-0 defeat at Leicester in December 2021 — at a point early in his reign where Howe’s ideas had not yet fully taken hold with the players he’d inherited from Bruce — Schar makes an early attempt to launch a diagonal.

His 50-yard ball picks out Allan Saint-Maximin on the wing, even though the Frenchman only has half a step on Leicester defender Timothy Castagne.

Though that chance came to nothing, the efficacy of the same type of pass was seen in the 2-1 win away at Tottenham in October.

Early on in the match, Schar tests that kind of ball, playing one in to Joelinton, who gets hauled down amid strong penalty appeals. Not given.

Later in the first half, from a more central position, Schar attempts the same again — this time with his left foot.

The pass finds Callum Wilson, dropping over Eric Dier’s head, and though it marginally evades the Newcastle striker, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a mess of it…

…and Wilson mops up, scooping the ball over the stranded Frenchman to give Newcastle the lead.

Schar’s diagonals to the left are helping Newcastle at the moment.

According to StatsBomb data, he ranks second among all Premier League centre-backs for line-breaking passes per 90 (12.9), behind only Chelsea’s Thiago Silva.

Complemented by defensive partner

“He’s shown his defensive resilience,” Howe said of Schar earlier this season. “Of course, that is every defender’s first port of call.”

Seen by Bruce as an error-prone player whose shortcomings could only be masked by deploying him in a back five, Schar has shattered that narrative. He can play in a back four — but a complementary partner is still important.

The introduction of the left-footed Dan Burn initially helped when he was signed in last season’s January transfer window, but Schar’s defensive abilities have gone to another level since Sven Botman arrived in June.

Botman vs Schar comparison 2022-23

Age Tackles/90 Interceptions/90 Blocks/90 Aerials won/90 Fouls/90

Sven Botman

23

1.14

0.76

1.27

1.91

0.32

Fabian Schar

31

1.18

1.52

1.35

2.30

0.56

Studying Newcastle’s average formation over a season reveals Schar (No 5 in this next graphic) is more active further forward than Botman (No 4), with and without the ball.

He wants to step up to intercept; stopping attacks early, often during transitions, such as here in that same match against Spurs.

Getting this wrong can be risky, but it has worked on several occasions.

Here is another example, away to Arsenal.

Botman’s superior speed allows Schar to play like this. With a slower centre-back partner — such as Lascelles, or former Newcastle colleagues Ciaran Clark or Federico Fernandez — it can appear rash, with the opposition able to streak away in transition.

However, Botman’s preference to sit deep and engage one on one makes up for it.

Against Fulham last weekend, Schar attempts to pressure Andreas Pereira, who wins the battle, leaving Newcastle short at the back.

However, Botman’s positioning is perfect. The 21-year-old chases down opposing winger Bobby De Cordova-Reid, shutting down the attack.

Afforded aerial protection

One aspect of Premier defending Schar has struggled with since his arrival is winning aerial duels.

Schar’s aerial duel success rate

% of aerials won

2018-19

49.6%

2019-20

50.0%

2020-21

40.0%

2021-22

51.7%

2022-23

66.1%

Among Premier League centre-backs, per Opta, he was ranked in the bottom 10 per cent in 2019-20, the bottom two per cent in 2020-21, and the bottom 12 per cent last season.

For 2022-23 though, he has an aerial duel success percentage of 66.1 per cent — putting him in the top third.

What’s changed? The additions of Botman and Burn, both superb aerially, are protecting Schar. With those two around he is tasked with marking the opposition’s best header of a ball far less frequently than used to be the case — as noted by Kev Lawson of WyeAyeScout.

This can be seen during game scenarios.

In the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Leicester last midweek, Botman and Joelinton are the ones marking the players considered the visitors’ most dangerous aerial threats — Wout Faes and Wilfred Ndidi.

From certain set-piece situations, however, this problem cannot be avoided — which is where Schar can struggle.

In the recent goalless draw at Arsenal, Gabriel Magalhaes, the home side’s best header of the ball, gets across him…

…meets Martin Odegaard’s free kick and is in position to direct a dominant header at goal, but the retreating Botman does just enough to distract him, and the ball goes looping over the crossbar.

Schar turned 31 last month and Newcastle are looking for right-sided central defenders for the long term, but Lascelles’ limitations in possession mean he is more likely to be the defender who leaves St James’ Park in the next six months.

Next season, 10 years after first playing in the Champions League with Basel, Schar could return to UEFA’s marquee club competition if Newcastle’s defence keeps performing the way it has for the first half of the current one.

That would be quite the journey from not even playing in the second team of a Swiss second-division side at the age of 17.

“There were at least 10 steps between Wil and the Premier League,” says Thoma, who man who plucked him from Wil’s youth system as a teenager and turned Schar from a midfielder into a defender. “He started from zero, with no one giving a shit. And now he’s doing wonderfully.”

(Top photo: Julian Finney via Getty Images)

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