Yoane Wissa’s Newcastle United debut puts Nick Woltemade under pressure for the first time at the club.
Broadly, Wissa’s return to action for Newcastle United is a good thing for Woltemade.
Indeed, having a player as good as Wissa in reserve can only be a positive development for the Magpies, particularly as the fixtures pile up thick and fast.
Still, and while Woltemade has made a brilliant start to life on Tyneside, he was perhaps at his quietest yet – particularly at home – during Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
Who was your MOTM vs Burnley?!
Hard to pick one!
That is perhaps explained by the fact the German international has largely had to carry the burden of being Newcastle’s main striker this season.
The demands on him have been bruising and his haul of seven goals in 19 games for Eddie Howe’s side is mightily impressive.
However, the fact that Wissa was more involved in a key area than his teammate against Burnley spoke to the difference between the two.
Yoane Wissa had more touches in Burnley’s box than Nick Woltemade
Woltemade was replaced by Wissa in the 74th minute at St James’ Park, with Newcastle 2-0 up at the time following goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.
Clearly, the state of the game prior to Burnley’s late reply from the penalty spot has to be taken into account.
| Newcastle United vs Burnley | Nick Woltemade | Yoane Wissa |
| Minutes played | 74 | 16 |
| Shots | 1 | 0 |
| Touches | 18 | 10 |
| Touches in opposition box | 1 | 2 |
Howe’s side were largely dominating and had most of the ball prior to another late nervy finish following a touch of complacency in the ranks.
It is interesting, however, that Wissa had only two fewer touches than Woltemade in just 16 minutes of action.
The DR Congo star also had more touches in the opposition box than his teammate (2 to 1).
Woltemade looked isolated, but the same cannot really be said about Wissa despite appearing on the pitch for a much shorter time.
It’s a nice problem to have for Howe, having two strikers of such quality. Wissa clearly won’t be rushed back into action on a full-time basis but, when he is fully fit, perhaps he’s a more natural fit for the frontline.
Did Bruno Guimaraes mean to score from a corner?! Or are you blaming Martin Dubravka 😂
The first Newcastle United player to ever score a Premier League goal directly from a corner 😎
What Newcastle United fans are already singing about Yoane Wissa
Newcastle fans created a new chant for Wissa on his debut, singing “Wissa’s on fire” to the tune of Freed From Desire by Gala.
The former Brentford striker certainly looked promising enough on his debut, even if he made it in favourable conditions.
None of this is a slight on Woltemade. Newcastle’s club-record signing is a brilliant player and will continue to prove so over the course of the campaign.
However, he now has genuine competition for the first time since he joined the club.
Wissa brings a different profile to Howe’s side and it may well be more familiar to the rest of the squad, who played with Alexander Isak last season.