‘What we need’ - Nick Woltemade tells Eddie Howe changing Newcastle United formation can work
Eddie Howe has resisted the urge to play Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa together for Newcastle United.
Nick Woltemade has insisted that he can forge a fearsome strike partnership with Yoane Wissa at Newcastle United.
The German has carried the goalscoring burden on Tyneside since his club-record arrival from Stuttgart. Wissa also arrived as the Premier League-proven option, but a knee injury suffered on international duty kept him out of action for 14 weeks.
That shelved the initial plan as Woltemade was thrown into the St James’ Park deep end. To his credit, the 23-year-old has fared well, with a brace against Chelsea taking his tally to seven across all competitions.
Nick Woltemade on Yoane Wissa dilemma
But as Wissa continues to make his comeback since returning, the dilemma for Eddie Howe grows bigger. He netted in the 2-1 win over Fulham a week ago and many expected him to start the Chelsea clash at the weekend.
However, Woltemade led the line, with Wissa coming on for the final 17 minutes. Fans are debating whether Newcastle will revert to an old-school system of playing with two centre-forwards.
Speaking after the Chelsea game, Woltemade said: "It is good that we have quality players to come in. It is what we need. I think we can play together and now we are in the situation where we are both fit and I hope it stays like this."
What Eddie Howe has said
Howe was grilled about potentially playing a two-man attack before the Chelsea game. He told reporters: “I’ve always historically, going way back, used two strikers. Haven't done it so much here, but we did go through spells where we used Alex and Callum together, so, of course, you can adapt any system to any two players.
“But I think what is really important, or if and when you play two strikers, you don't lose control of the pitch in other areas and you have your two strikers starved of the ball. I think it's a delicate balance for us, two outstanding players that you'd love to see on the pitch together, of course, but not to the detriment of the team.”