First involved in the opposing goal, then substituted early: Nick Woltemade’s Boxing Day debut went wrong. But Dietmar Hamann makes people sit up and take notice afterwards.
Dietmar Hamann expressed irritation at Nick Woltemade’s repeated and early substitution in Newcastle United’s 0-1 loss against Manchester United. “Something had to happen for them to get a point. ( Coach Eddie; Ed. note ) Howe always says how important Woltemade is. He is the top scorer and scored twice last week. I didn’t quite understand it,” the 52-year-old said on Sky .
Woltemade remained subdued at Old Trafford until the end of his shift in the 68th minute and also played a part in the Magpies’ conceded goal. The German international headed a long throw-in directly to the feet of Patrick Dorgu, who scored with a volley into the left corner in the first half. But the fact that Woltemade, who has only played through three times in 24 competitive games for Newcastle, was now substituted for the 17th time, surprised not only Hamann.
Nick Woltemade was substituted on Boxing Day
“Woltemade is always good for a goal”
“The question is: if you take off Nick Woltemade, your best goalscorer, after 68 minutes and then play with a centre-back as a striker, you might as well have left him on. That’s my personal opinion,” commented Toni Tomic during the match. Hamann then remarked: “It was a phase where Manchester United was on its knees. It was like training, attack versus defense.”
According to Hamann, Woltemade could have been decisively helpful, especially with its height of 1.98 meters. “He can score goals with his head, he has done that before, and he can lay off the ball. That’s why I could imagine that local journalists might ask the coach again whether that was good or right,” the TV expert added.
Indeed, Coach Eddie Howe was not asked about Woltemade after the game. However, he repeatedly complained about his entire offense’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.
Tomic, meanwhile, went even further than Hamann. “That would be like Pep Guardiola taking off Erling Haaland – without wanting to compare the two – just like that. Anything can still happen. Nick Woltemade is always good for a goal, after all,” he opined. Regardless of the early substitution, Hamann also had much praise for the striker, who, despite the Boxing Day defeat, has had a successful start in the Premier League.
Hamann raves about Woltemade
“One can’t even imagine where Newcastle would be without him,” the ex-pro emphasized the importance of the former Stuttgart player for his new team: “Woltemade already has seven goals in the league. And what’s more: even if he doesn’t score, he has value for the team.” The initial doubts about the 23-year-old have long since disappeared.
Across all competitions, Woltemade has nine goals and two assists for the Magpies after 23 games. “Woltemade carried almost the entire team’s attack alone in the first 17 games. That’s astonishing for his first year over there on the island,” Hamann enthuses: “So far, he has truly justified every single penny Newcastle paid for him.”