Newcastle United fans will have been eager to watch new star Nick Woltemade in action for the first time since his mega-money move to St. James' Park, after he was issued a starting berth for Germany against Slovakia in their World Cup qualification opener. However, a hugely disappointing outing from the seven-time major tournament winners saw them lose 2-0 in the worst start possible for Julian Nagelsmann.
Woltemade burst onto the scene at Stuttgart last season, scoring 17 goals in 33 games for the south-western outfit in all competitions, helping them to win the DFB-Pokal with a win over Armenia Bielefeld in the final in Berlin. And, after his move to Newcastle, big things are expected from the 6ft 6in striker, who will replace Alexander Isak.
St James' Park
However, despite starting and finishing the game in Bratislava, Woltemade failed to make an impact as goals from David Hancko and David Strelec saw the home side pick up an unlikely win to down the four-time World Cup winners.
We start off with a rating by Buli News, which gave the Magpies star slight credit for how he started, though they agreed that it was a 'frustrating' night for the striker by stating:
"Nick Woltemade – 3/10. Woltemade started brightly, providing a clever backheel pass to Leon Goretzka, but it proved to be a frustrating evening for Newcastle’s new signing. He couldn't capitalize on the crosses that came his way and lost possession too often."
Next came a scathing review from prestigious outlet BILD, who stated that his 'astronomical value' of €85million (£73.7million) wasn't evident against the Slovakians, stating that his effort levels were merely 'half-hearted'. With six being the lowest grade possible, they wrote [via SportWitness]:
"His astronomical transfer value of €85m wasn’t evident against Slovakia. Two weak headers went over and wide of the goal (31′), a couple of botched dribbles, and a seemingly half-hearted pressing style. He only played to the end due to a lack of alternatives (Füllkrug was out of the squad due to muscle problems). 6."
That was followed up by a report by Bavarian Football Works, who were equally critical of him, by stating that Woltemade was 'terribly underwhelming', with the decision to start him upfront being a 'head-scratching' decision. They wrote:
"Nick Woltemade looked terribly underwhelming and the decision to play him as striker is a head-scratcher. The fact is, that the attacking answer lies in neither Nadiem Amiri, nor Karim Adeyemi — the team simply needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out tactics afresh."
GOAL then joined in on the act, stating that Woltemade only made nine touches in the first half - labelling his lack of inclusion as a 'damning' statistic that largely summed up Germany's night in Bratislava. They wrote:
"The trio of Nick Woltemade (9), Wirtz (28), and Serge Gnabry (25) combined for just 62 touches, a damning statistic of their ineffective link-up in the first half."
Finally, we end on a report from German outlet Sport1, who states that Woltemade was 'disappointing' amid the high hopes placed upon him after his move to Tyneside. They posted:
"Woltemade too timid. Disappointed the high hopes placed on him. He was rarely used and received little support in pressing. When he did get opportunities, however, his efforts landed wide of the goal. He was surprisingly timid in aerial challenges – despite having the physical attributes. SPORT1 rating: 5."
Evidently, more will be needed from Newcastle's new talisman if he is to keep his place in the German national starting XI, and whether he will feature against Northern Ireland on Sunday evening in Koln remains to be seen.
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