Nick Woltemade had a break from playing in midfield as he headed off on international duty with Germany, where Julian Nagelsmann deployed him in a familiar centre-forward role.
A lot has been made of Nick Woltemade’s perceived lack of goals for Newcastle United this season following his record-breaking move from Stuttgart in the summer.
While the 6’6″ German forward got off to a flying start in the Premier League, the goals soon dried up, and questions over his suitability to adapt to the English game started to arise.
The problem is that Nick Woltemade is a very different type of striker than Alexander Isak was, and yet, Newcastle were still trying to play the same way, which left Big Nick isolated.
In a bid to bring him into the games more, Eddie Howe pulled Woltemade into the midfield, hoping to take advantage of his close control and hold-up play, but even that has had mixed results.
Woltemade has been speaking to German outlet Bild (via Bulinews) about his recent form and has hit out at critics who claim he’s in a ‘slump’, insisting that he’s being judged on the wrong metrics.
“It bothers me, If someone claims that I’m in a slump, I’d argue that this person doesn’t watch many Newcastle games.
“I know people associate me with goals, but you can’t compare a striker’s tally with that of a midfielder playing 50, 60, 70 metres from the opponent’s goal. I’m currently a completely different Nick Woltemade than I was at the start of the season.
“Right now, I should be judged by how I handle duels or secure space. Of course, I score far fewer goals now. But I’m completely relaxed. I don’t mind expanding my repertoire. And I’m convinced that, in the long run, it will make me stronger if I learn to navigate phases like this.”
Woltemade reminded Newcastle fans what he can do when deployed properly with a clever run and flick back for Florian Wirtz to apply the finish in the friendly against Ghana this week. That goal was ultimately ruled out, but it was a reminder of what Woltemade could bring to Newcastle.
We absolutely agree with the point the German made, too. If he’s being pulled black to play as a midfielder, then why would we still be judging him on his goals?
That being said, we hope that after some time on the training pitch between now and the end of the season, Eddie Howe is working with him to get him back into the right position to get us some goals to help us get back into Europe.