- Woltemade top performance against Ghana
- Nagelsmann hands Howe the blueprint
- Tonali the key to unlock the Newcastle forward
Nick Woltemade was in international action for Germany over the break. The Newcastle United forward played a large role in his country’s 2-1 victory over Ghana, showing exactly why he should have been used further forward by Eddie Howe all this time.
Woltemade did feature in the first game against Switzerland but struggled to make an impact in a 27-minute cameo.
But that story was entirely different in his starting role against the Black Stars, where the big German looked every bit of the player who took the Premier League by storm in his first few games in England.
Woltemade in motion
Contrary to what was maybe expected, Big Nick didn’t actually play as an out-and-out striker. Instead, he played just off Kai Havertz – the key being ‘just off’, not as a number eight. The two did rotate throughout, though, and Woltemade did spend a lot of his time in the central striker position.
Woltemade’s best moment unfortunately didn’t count for anything in the end. He was deemed a toe offside in the buildup. However, it was still a perfect example of exactly how to utilise his abilities to get the best out of him.
Kimmich picked the ball up just inside the Ghana half. Woltemade had made a run which took him to the right-hand side of the box, dragging both centre-backs with him in the process. The Newcastle forward then received the ball following a delightful whipped pass by Kimmich.
Woltemade deftly cushioned the ball with the outside of his boot back into the path of the onrushing Florian Wirtz. The Liverpool man coolly finished from the edge of the box to complete the move in style.
It was a perfect example of what should happen when Woltemade is on the pitch. Playing into him and getting bodies around the ball in those forward areas.
Not only that but Woltemade was a nuisance throughout the game. He hit the woodwork, had seven touches in the opposition box, and played three passes into the final third. Alongside this he had a 100% duel and dribble rate throughout the game.
Nagelsmann was right
Earlier this month, German gaffer Julian Nagelsmann had some rather damning things to say about how Woltemade was being used at Newcastle, saying:
“He has often played very deep [at Newcastle]. When he has to defend as a No. 6, there’s a long distance to the goal.
He’s not a counter-attacking striker who runs 36 km/h. I can promise that he won’t be 80 metres away from goal with us.”
It must be said that Nagelsmann stuck to that promise to a tee. The manager was putting on a lesson in exactly how to get the best from the big man.
Howe’s blueprint
Following on from those international exploits, the blueprint is now a pretty obvious one for Eddie Howe.
Interestingly enough, it heavily involves Sandro Tonali and how he is deployed for his national team.
Gordon will move back to the left-hand side with any one of Elanga, Barnes and Murphy starting on the right.
Jacob Ramsey has proved that he can do the deepest of the midfield roles to a solid standard in recent weeks. However, the imminent return of Lewis Miley could also be used to take up that position.
This will allow Sandro Tonali to be released into a number eight role.
Now, if you have watched the Italian play for his national team, you will have seen his goal-scoring exploits from midfield.
One of Tonali’s main strengths is his pace and power. Arriving on the edge of the box in a similar way to how Wirtz did in the Germany game.
This would be almost the perfect counter to the struggles in getting bodies around Woltemade. But it would also keep the midfield balance with Miley sitting, Guimaraes doing what he does and conducting the game, and Tonali using his pace and athleticism.
It would also unlock some of Tonali’s more creative abilities, which have largely been stifled by occupying the number six position exclusively.
A midfielder signing
Should Newcastle go all in on Woltemade and decide he is the focal point going forward, there is no doubt a midfield signing is needed in some capacity.
Even with the mentioned tactical tweaks, it still feels like a profile is missing in that area. Add to that the fact that Tonali could be going in the summer, and a midfield signing is even more imperative.
There are two ways that Newcastle can go about strengthening, or possibly both, depending on sales.
A diminutive, line-breaking number 10 is the first option. This is something Howe’s side has been crying out for for a couple of years now. The lack of said profile has led to some big problems in combating teams that deploy a low block.
The other is an out-and-out number 6. A player who enjoys the defensive work and gives the midfield a platform to play from.
As mentioned, Tonali has done an excellent job of filling that position, despite maybe not being best deployed there. However, if either Tonali leaves or Newcastle want to get the best out of Woltemade without signing a number 10, an elite holding midfielder would be an excellent move.
It has, similarly to a number 10, been a profile the club really could have done with for a while now. The flat midfield three used without the ball has left gaps in between the lines that have been exploited a lot this season.
Woltemade’s message to Howe
If Woltemade’s performance in those forward areas isn’t a clear enough message of what needs to be done with the German, it’s difficult to say what is.
Having not been given a chance to play there for a good while now. Alongside the demoralising confidence knock Woltemade has clearly had since his early goal-scoring spree, what he showed against Ghana was all the more impressive.
Spending upwards of £70m on a new striker and then refusing to play him in the position you signed him for, especially considering all the promise he showed, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Even moreso when you consider a left winger has been converted to fill that space.
The German is clearly a confidence player. But giving him the tools to succeed and subsequently building that confidence has to be considered the bare minimum. For whatever reason, that has not been the case thus far.
But it must be on Howe’s radar sooner rather than later, because there is a monster of a footballer just waiting to be unleashed with the right care and attention.
