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Eddie Howe | Getty Images
Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe’s side were beaten by Everton at St James’ Park on Saturday.
Eddie Howe made six changes to his starting lineup from the team that began their win over Qarabag in midweek. However, it wasn’t one of the sextuplet of changes that caught the attention of most home fans as they entered St James’ Park.
Instead, it was the assumed return of Nick Woltemade as a striker which caught most off guard. Woltemade had spent the last few games as a central midfielder, a role he had largely impressed in. He was even the centre of the pre-Qarabag press conference with his contrasting roles at club and international level particularly intriguing just months away from the World Cup.
However, as the two sides took to the pitch, it was clear that Woltemade was instead set to operate again in midfield alongside Sandro Tonali and Jacob Ramsey. Joelinton was the man to move further up the pitch and operate in a left-wing role with Anthony Gordon, against his former club, starting up front.
Woltemade, though, couldn’t repeat those improved performances and was guilty of being the man to lose possession of the ball on a number of occasions. Howe reacted to his struggles by pushing the German back up-front, with Gordon moving to the left and Joelinton back into midfield - all of the trio's natural positions.
That shift immediately worked as Jacob Ramsey slammed the ball, via a deflection, over Jordan Pickford for an equaliser. Almost instantly, the pair of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite had someone to deal with and occupy their thoughts - something that may have contributed to the deflection for the goal.
That was about as good as it got for Woltemade on Saturday, though, as he was withdrawn in the second half for Harvey Barnes as the Magpies searched for a route back into the game. Ultimately, they would get one, only to shoot themselves in the foot just moments later.
Nick Woltemade’s confusing role at Newcastle United
Whilst little of the blame for Saturday’s messy defeat against the Toffees can be placed squarely at Woltemade’s door, his struggles do highlight the confused nature of this Newcastle United team.
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Is he a striker? His start to the season certainly suggests that he can be a success there.
Is he a midfielder? His last few matches certainly suggests that he can be a success there too.
The same can be said for Newcastle United. Are they a good team? Some of their results in February suggests that they are.
Are they a bad team? Some of their performances in February suggest that they are too.
Newcastle United used to be the masters of chaos. Once games descended down that path, they’d generally come out on top of it.
But now, they seem to be less chaotic and simply more confused. Without Bruno Guimaraes, they have very little to non-existent control in the middle of the park and are greatly lacking composure and a clear plan.
Howe must fix this and must find a way to do it without time on the training pitch. After all, that’s what the best managers do.
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