Newcastle United are still waiting to see the best of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade this season.
Recent games have seen Newcastle switch between Wissa and Woltemade leading the line, with the pair starting together in the FA Cup win over AFC Bournemouth earlier this month.
Wissa grabbed a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven at St James’ Park. Meanwhile, it’s been over a month since Woltemade last found the next for The Magpies.
Despite that, the German remains the club’s second top goalscorer this season with nine goals - only Harvey Barnes (12) has found the net more.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
NUFC striker dilemma
Woltemade was virtually a guaranteed starter for Newcastle earlier in the season due to the lack of alternatives available as Wissa was out injured.
But since Wissa has returned, Woltemade has struggled for consistency, having only scored in one of his last 14 matches in all competitions- a brace in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea last month.
And Howe has warned that each player is just one bad performance away from dropping out the side as he urged his strikers to take the opportunities presented to them.
“I think it's a good thing for both players that they're both fit and available and able to contribute,” Howe said. “From my side it's a huge positive. Looking back at previous examples, when Callum [Wilson] and Alex [Isak] were both fit and firing, they helped, pushed and elevated each other to greater performances.
“That is how they have to take on the challenge. You want the whole team feeling this, that one bad performance can cost them their place in the team.
“That’s when teams play the best they can whenever everyone is aware of the strength of the group. I want to try and create that in every position. I trust both players, they have different strengths.”
Eddie Howe on Yoane Wissa
Like Woltemade, Wissa has also struggled for consistency since returning from injury. The 29-year-old opted to stay at Newcastle rather than go to the African Cup of Nations in order to work on his fitness and get up to speed on Tyneside.
Although he is still waiting to get back to his best levels in terms of fitness, Wissa has an impressive record of scoring on his first starts for Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, Premier League and Champions League.
“I think his attitude is really refreshing, he's very motivated to play,” Howe said. “He's got real passion and enthusiasm inside of him that's desperate to come out and that only comes out by playing football.
“He's desperate to show everyone how good he is, he's desperate to score goals, which is always the most important quality in a centre-forward. He's got great qualities that we can use.
“He took his goal really well on Wednesday, it was a typical striker's finish. I think every time he's played he's looked like scoring, he's got chances, which again is a great thing, so I'm very happy with him.
“He'll get better as he plays more, just getting that balance right between playing and resting because he's still in the early stages of coming back.”
Continue Reading