Jamaal Lascelles was irked by criticism from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher

The pundits criticised Newcastle's defensive tactics after 1-0 loss vs Man City

The defender insists Newcastle's 'tactics were spot on' at St James' Park

Lascelles is confident the Magpies will stay in the Premier League this season

In the spotlight of the Premier League, sometimes it pays to show a little restraint off the field as well as on. Talking this week to Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles, he told of the Christmas Twitter spat that never was.

Irked by criticism of Newcastle's defensive tactics by pundits including Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher after his team's 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City, Lascelles briefly considered laying the matter out in the open.

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Neville labelled Newcastle's first-half efforts 'embarrassing' and Carragher suggested the Premier League was becoming a 'joke'.

Jamaal Lascelles was angered by criticism of Newcastle's defensive tactics against Man City

Lascelles admits he nearly got into a Twitter spat with Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher

Lascelles told Sportsmail: 'I really was close to tweeting because their comments didn't make sense.

'Our tactics were spot on. We were playing a team that had just beaten Tottenham 4-1! So for people to say it was a shambles and embarrassing got to me.

'I was close to going for it on Twitter. I asked a few people what they thought but ultimately I thought it would have caused a scene — it would have got messy — and that would have been bad.

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'I really respect them both but to hear pundits saying we were accepting defeat was not right. As ex-players I thought they would understand our approach. Maybe they just wanted something to talk about, because they had nothing else to say.'

Newcastle play City again a week on Saturday and Lascelles has his own history with the Manchester club. He made his debut for Newcastle as a substitute as Steve McClaren's team lost 6-1 at the Etihad in their relegation year of 2015-16.

'He sent me on as left back against City away,' winced Lascelles. 'I had never played that position before and was marking Jesus Navas. So thanks for that, Steve...'

Lascelles insists that Newcastle's 'tactics were spot on' against the Premier League leaders

The Newcastle captain sat down for an exclusive interview with Sportsmail's Ian Ladyman

This time round Lascelles believes the Premier League is seeing a different Newcastle. If they beat Swansea at home on Saturday, it will take Rafael Benitez's team to 25 points.

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Two seasons ago, the Newcastle dressing room Lascelles walked into was a shambles. On one occasion when McClaren asked his players to get off the team bus for a walk, they simply said no.

After a heavy defeat at Crystal Palace, Lascelles took his team-mates to task and accused them of not caring. He was 21 and yet to start a single league game for the club.

'The players' heads were all over the place back then,' he recalled.

'Yes, it (dissent) was there. Completely. It was bad. Steve is obviously a well-respected manager but there is only so much you can do when you have 20 players refusing to do things and not taking anything seriously.

'That's how it was but the minute this manager came in it changed. Because of the respect he has, players wouldn't dream of going against what he says. I wouldn't let them do it either. This is totally different now. No cliques. All together. I don't think for one minute we will go down this time.'

The 24-year-old admits there was dissent when Steve McClaren was in charge of Newcastle

Lascelles is confident that Newcastle will stay up: 'I don't think for one minute we will go down'

Dressing rooms are intriguing places. Nobody really knows what they are like except those inside and, more often than not, they don't tell you the truth.

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Lascelles is a little different, a little more open. I ask if he was surprised by what he found at his first Premier League club after a move from Nottingham Forest. Shouldn't dressing rooms be more professional the higher up the ladder you climb?

'I would say the opposite,' he ventured. 'The higher you get you will find more egos and dressing rooms won't be as tight. It's just my opinion. Lower down the league — maybe because there are more English players — it will be tighter.

'I am not talking about this club. We are tight and we make sure we are. But if you look at your Man Citys and everybody else, I can't imagine they are all good friends off the pitch.

'I would imagine they come in training and then, after, off you go. They are world-class players and because we are not we need to make sure we are doing the right things and working extra hard and going for team meals and sticking together.

'There is a saying that there are no friends in football. I don't believe that. I have good friends here. But obviously you like certain players more than others. That's just life and people.

Lascelles has a reputation in the North East for intelligence but also for a competitive streak

Lascelles fought with Mo Diame at training as he felt the Senegalese wasn't pulling his weight

'Once you train or cross the white line then friendships or not liking someone goes out of the window.

'I will treat everybody the same and I expect the same back.'

Lascelles has a reputation in the North East — and increasingly beyond — for intelligence but also for a competitive streak. This season, he fought with team-mate Mo Diame at training because he felt the Senegalese wasn't pulling his weight. Jonjo Shelvey stepped between them and ended up with a broken finger.

'It's my job to tell people,' Lascelles shrugged. 'If I didn't I wouldn't be wearing the armband. If I wasn't pulling my weight I would expect to be told. So I am not worried about upsetting anybody. Afterwards you shake hands and what happens on the training pitch stays there. We are both men. If something needs to be said I am not going to bite my tongue just because I may upset someone.

'I don't want to fight with my team-mates but I will do what is best for the team. I want to win. We actually have a great group of lads here now. They give everything.'

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Lascelles puts his openness and competitiveness down to his upbringing in Derby and sibling rivalry with his brother Rema, a year older. He has Rema's face tattooed on his arm and will be in the crowd when the 6ft 6in guard plays basketball for Leicester Riders at Newcastle Eagles on Friday night.

Magpies defender puts his openness and competitiveness down to his upbringing in Derby

The 24-year-old English defender came through Nottingham Forest's academy

Lascelles could have played that sport professionally too — he had England trials — but it was the relationship with Rema that the central defender believes left an imprint needed for him to get to the top in football.

'Eventually my parents wouldn't let us play anything at all as we would be trying to rip each other's heads off,' he laughed.

'Card games, dominoes, Play-Station. It was everything. I was probably even more competitive then as academy football takes that rawness out of you.'

Lascelles came through Forest's youth system but has mixed views on academies and is not alone. He believes his best football education came while on loan at Stevenage in League One as an 18-year-old.

'That was the biggest learning curve and I tell every kid who wants to be a player to get out on loan,' he said. 'The players there were proper men, big dudes who knew it was all about winning or losing.

'Bottles would be thrown across the dressing room. I couldn't believe it. I was used to nicey-nicey academy football where you are wrapped in bubble wrap. Academies are about being technical and being nice to the staff and being fair on the pitch.

Lascelles and his Newcastle team-mates face Swansea at home on Saturday afternoon

'Coaches say you are 10 out of 10 so you think you are going be a player. That's fine but you only find out about reality further down the leagues. We lack that in the Premier League because of people's wages. In the Premier League you can have a bad game and still get paid a whole heap of money. That creeps into it, definitely. Though not in our team at Newcastle now, I have to say.

'Lower down it's about getting a win bonus for your mortgage. So it's intense. I have seen hundreds of academy kids come and go. Of my Forest lot only three of us came through. Anyone in an academy can pass a football but standing up for yourself and having a good character will help you out more. You need to go a step further and get kicked around the pitch a bit.'

Steve Cotterill gave Lascelles his Forest debut six years ago this month but it was the irascible Scot Billy Davies who left the greatest impression.

'He was worse even than he looked even from the outside, shouting and screaming in your face all day,' Lascelles said.

'He would try to fight you! He was a good manager and well respected but some players would cower and go in to their shell. I was 16 and it was intimidating.

'It's about finding the character to deal with it. A lot of it was empty threats I think, just to test you. One time I couldn't do this passing drill in the wind. He was like, "If you do that again, I will send you to the Under 16s for the rest of the season".

Lascelles described Rafa Benitez as 'world class', saying it would be a 'massive loss' if he left

'He admitted afterwards that he wouldn't have done it really. I can imagine some players would shy away from that.'

Made captain at Newcastle by Benitez at the start of last season — Lascelles has described it as a 'gulp' moment — the 24-year-old very much sees himself as his manager's voice on the field and his respect for the Spaniard is clear.

Newcastle's players have been told not to discuss the ongoing takeover wrangle in public but footballers can read and can hear. As such the Newcastle team are aware that Benitez may not see his future at St James' Park as a long one if he loses another battle for transfer spending with owner Mike Ashley this month.

'I can see why other people would want him as he is world class,' said Lascelles. 'It would be a massive loss for us. Since he came in everything has been positive, from the reaction of the fans, the respect of the players and what he gets from the players and how we are playing. If he had arrived earlier last time round he would have kept us up. I have come on leaps and bounds since he has been here.

He was made captain by Benitez last term - Lascelles has described it as a 'gulp' moment

'So I think we should do our best to make sure he is comfortable and for me they should be giving him what he wants because they won't find anyone any better than him.'

Wins at West Ham and Stoke over Christmas and New Year have steadied a Newcastle season that had hitherto appeared to be heading just one way.

A look at their fixtures reveals opportunities to pick up more points. Survival would be impressive for a side not greatly changed since last season's promotion from the Championship.

'We need to carry on like we are going,' said Lascelles.

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'We have a good manager who knows what he is doing, a good set of lads who are organised and together and the best fans in the country. If we stick together this club can really take off.'