The Magpies’ coach asks for patience with the national player.
Newcastle United team manager Eddie Howe has called for patience with Germany international Nick Woltemade. “He’s young, it’s a new league,” Howe said on Friday, adding: “He started so well, and everyone expected him to continue that way. But I think that’s very difficult, as much as we wished that for him.”
Striker Woltemade, who moved from VfB Stuttgart to the island in the summer, has been without a goal in twelve competitive matches for the Magpies after a promising start. Newcastle has won none of their last four duels and only one of their last seven. In the league, the eleventh-placed team is far behind their own expectations, and in the League Cup, they were eliminated in the semi-finals against Manchester City (0:2/1:3) on Wednesday. In February, crucial matches also await in the Champions League with play-offs against Qarabag Agdam and in the FA Cup against Aston Villa.
Woltemade, Howe said, “is slowly getting used to the challenges of the Premier League: the pace, the intensity, and the physicality. And of course, other teams are getting to know him too – that’s the biggest challenge for him. Teams understand his game and his intentions, so he has to find other ways to be successful.”
The coach emphasizes that it’s important to “always be one step ahead” of opponents, “so there’s still a lot for him to do. But I think he’s done everything with a great attitude and in a great way. That’s the most important thing he needs to do to be successful.”
That worked very well for a long time. Overall, Woltemade currently has nine goals and four assists in 35 competitive matches for Newcastle.