There can be very few complaints about the way Nick Woltemade has hit the ground running at Newcastle United, but Jermain Defoe has noticed an issue.
Given the high-profile departure of Alexander Isak this summer, new signing Nick Woltemade became very important very quickly at Newcastle.
Who will finish on more goals in all competitions this season?
Questions were raised over the big striker, with the likes of Paul Merson debating whether Woltemade was actually worthy of hype. Suffice it to say, he’s well and truly proved everyone wrong.
Woltemade has adapted to the English game with ease, but there is still room for improvement, of course.
Jermain Defoe says Nick Woltemade needs support
In a recent appearance on Premier League Productions’ Team Talks, former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe discussed Woltemade’s start at Newcastle, and picked out some ways his game could get even better.
He said: “I think the players around him have to help to get the best out of him.
“I saw him euros in the summer. You know, I think he’s got six goals, got golden boot, it’s unbelievable. And for his size, he’s quite dynamic. He can run, good finisher, good with the ball, but I just feel like at times when I watch him play, it feels like he’s just running for the sake of running without the ball.
“And it just seems like the most important bit, he’s not being able to do that. Listen, the Newcastle team are fit. Eddie Howe, he gets his teams fit. But I just feel like at times that when he’s pressing, the distances are too big and he’s just running for the sake of running and then when they get the ball back, his best qualities, he’s not been able to do that.
“I think once he gets that right and then like he’s shown already, you know, he can be a top player.”
Obviously, anyone associated with Newcastle United might be reluctant to listen to a Sunderland legend. But, when that man is Jermain Defoe, a Premier League icon with 163 top flight goals and 20 England goals, it’s probably worth hearing what he has to say.
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Nick Woltemade’s game will change dramatically when Yoane Wissa returns
Given his goal return so far this season, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Eddie Howe’s system is working for Woltemade. But, I would argue Woltemade is thriving in spite of the current Newcastle tactical approach.
As a lone striker, Woltemade is already naturally isolated. Throw in the fact that Anthony Gordon is struggling for form and Anthony Elanga has not settled in as hoped, and you’ve got a striker utterly starved of service up top.
Nick Woltemade’s ridiculous penalty technique.
However, that could and should all change when Yoane Wissa finally returns from injury. It will take some adjustment in terms of the Newcastle system, but Woltemade is keen to play alongside Wissa and form a strike partnership.
It’s the good, old-fashioned, little-and-large dynamic that has worked for so many in the past, including none other than Jermain Defoe (alongside Peter Crouch, most notably).
Having someone in attack with him will mean Woltemade feels less pressure to make those runs Defoe described, allowing him to conserve energy, press at the right time, and most importantly, be in the right place at the right time when the ball does come into the box.
The post 'He's just...': Sunderland icon picks out Nick Woltemade problem at Newcastle that Eddie Howe must fix appeared first on Geordie Boot Boys.