Clauss on giving up Nice armband: 'Maybe I got on people's nerves'

📰 Nice's Jonathan Clauss admits he may have got on people's nerves as he explains giving up the armband. 📌 Key points 🎖️ Clauss chose to give up the captaincy himself. 🗣️ He admitted he "maybe got on people's nerves". 💬 He blamed communication rather than any single incident. 🇧🇪 Summer arrival Axel Witsel has taken over the armband. ⚽ Clauss scored the winner against Strasbourg. 📝 What happened 🎖️ Clauss became Nice captain after Dante retired in the summer. Before the Lille match, Witsel led the team out with no announcement, and afterwards coach Olivier Pantaloni revealed Clauss had chosen to step down. 🗣️ "It wasn't a weight on me. I am committed, as I have to be, armband or not," Clauss said. "I think it was about communication. I have always been like that, a bit of a pain, demanding of myself." 😅 He admitted: "I maybe got on people's nerves." There was no specific incident, he said, only a feeling in the dressing room. Since Witsel took over, communication "has been healthier". ⚽ Clauss has kept performing without the armband, scoring the winner in last Sunday's 2-1 victory over Strasbourg. 📊 By the numbers • 2-1 win over Strasbourg, Clauss with the winner • Nice captaincy: Dante (retired) → Clauss → Witsel 🔭 Why it matters It is rare for a captain to step down early in the season and publicly put it down to being too demanding. If the dressing room really is healthier under Witsel, Nice will hope it shows in their results.