Jack14Bojangles

With the fantastic performances Kane has delivered at Bayern Munich, he has long since recouped his transfer fee. For me, Kane is one of the best strikers of all time.

Diaz is the better player, though. Diaz performed immediately and is a real asset for Bayern. Above all, he consistently delivers good performances. Diaz is having a great season, and the transfer fee has already paid off. Gordon can't match Diaz's performance.

There's a pattern. Toon keeps losing points towards the end of games. I'd like to see a halftime table, or one after 60 minutes. It feels like we should have secured an international spot by now. Sorry, but it's just unacceptable how we let points slip away after the break. It's infuriating.

After the international break, I had hoped that Wolte would start as a centre forward against Crystal. A kind of fresh start. I've lost hope that things will work out between Wolte and Toon/Eddie. They just don't seem to be a good fit. Maybe Wolte should be loaned out or sold next season.

After the international break, I had hoped Wolte would get another chance to start as a center forward. It seems things aren't working out between Wolte and Toon. They just don't seem to be a good fit. If they can't sell him, perhaps they should loan him out to another club next season.

Sané is dividing fans in Germany, with the majority rejecting him. He shows his qualities far too infrequently. He scores a sensational goal or plays a sensational game about once every ten matches. But that's far too rare. On top of that, he contributes nothing defensively. He doesn't press effectively. And above all, his body language is provocative; he shows no willingness to run off the ball. As you can see, I'm not a fan of his and wouldn't take him to the World Cup. Lennart Karl is worlds better and, at 18, has a future ahead of him. Despite everything, booing in the national team is unacceptable; idiots.

Wirtz was magnificent against Switzerland, absolutely world-class. Involved in all four goals. Two goals and two assists.

Nagelsmann said he started Havertz to give him match rhythm after his injury. Woltemade started instead of Undav because Nick isn't having a good time at Toon right now, and Nagelsmann wanted to give him playing time to help him regain his confidence. Undav is on a good run and doesn't need any more positive boost this week.

That's exactly right. I should probably delete this title again so that people can focus on the main content...

That's just the starting point of the article. I'm not interested in what Nagelsmann has to say about Toon. What he thinks about Big Nick is interesting, though, since he's the national coach. I hope you've read the other 95% of the article, because there's a lot of truth in it.

Article from KICKER, Germany's leading sports magazine: Even Nagelsmann is wondering: Will Howe survive his biggest crisis in Newcastle? A debacle in Barcelona, defeats against their arch-rivals, and a dig from Julian Nagelsmann: Eddie Howe is going through his toughest crisis as Newcastle manager – with an uncertain outcome. Newcastle United went into the international break with a defeat that will resonate not only because they have three weeks to process it due to the unusual fixture schedule. The 1-2 loss against arch-rivals AFC Sunderland was so devastating for the Magpies that even their usually composed manager didn't mince words in the subsequent criticism. "You can use any word you want, I'm not going to dispute it," sighed Eddie Howe at his press conference on Sunday. "There's no excuse for not delivering." And because this isn't the first time his team has suffered such a setback, there are serious questions plaguing Newcastle that will require answers by the summer at the latest. 'You can use any word you want, I'm not going to argue with it,' sighed Eddie Howe at his press conference on Sunday. ' The fact that Howe's team didn't simply fail against FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, but were thrashed 2-7 at Camp Nou, is causing alarm, as are the two derby defeats against promoted Sunderland this season and the league table after 31 matchdays: 12th place, behind the Black Cats, already a good way away from the European Cup places. Howe's project has stalled – two lineups speak volumes. In four and a half years, Howe, backed by new millions from Saudi Arabia, transformed a Premier League 19th-placed team into a two-time Champions League participant and brought the storied club its first title in 70 years with the 2025 League Cup triumph. The Englishman, who has been considered a potential national team coach for years, is the most successful manager in the club's recent history – but the entire project has stalled. Last summer, Newcastle painfully learned in the transfer market that they still don't belong among England's top clubs; the Premier League's financial regulations further restrict their seemingly endless financial resources. And this year, unlike in previous years, Howe hasn't managed to make the most of what he has. This is most evident when comparing the starting lineups in the first and latest, so far, only competitive matches of the season: Anthony Gordon started as a center forward in both, even though he isn't actually a striker. The only difference is that Newcastle hadn't yet spent around €135 million on two new attackers in their 0-0 draw against Aston Villa in the opening match. But against Sunderland, Nick Woltemade once again started in a more defensive role, and Yoane Wissa didn't start at all. Even after seven months, Howe is still searching for the ideal position for Woltemade within his system. The former Stuttgart player, who last scored in the Premier League in December and didn't play a single minute against Barcelona, is a face of the team's decline in recent months. "He often played very deep, and when he then defends as a holding midfielder, he has a long way to go to get to goal," national team coach Julian Nagelsmann said last week, followed by a sentence that could be interpreted as a subtle dig at Howe's experiments: "I can promise that he won't be 80 meters away from goal for us." At least Woltemade is playing fairly regularly again. Wissa, who scored 19 goals for Brentford last season, has been a €58 million flop so far, even though he seemed a better fit for Howe's high-pressing style of football. He's the real disappointment, not Woltemade, but both are relevant to the interim assessment: Newcastle have failed to compensate for Alexander Isak's departure due to strike. The Magpies need a late surge to salvage their season with European qualification, but that's precisely not their strength: they've already squandered 22 points after taking the lead, which doesn't exactly reflect well on Howe's work. Why does his team keep running out of steam? "We lost control after halftime," he had to admit again against Sunderland. A coaching change this season is out of the question; the sporting management is said to remain fully behind Howe. However, he still needs to make a case for his continued employment before the Saudi owners take the next steps in the summer. It's already clear that things are likely to get turbulent again even without Howe's dismissal. Key players like Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Valentino Livramento, and Gordon might want to leave due to a lack of opportunities, or perhaps even be forced to due to financial constraints. The three-week break offers a good opportunity to fine-tune both on and off the pitch. However, things aren't running smoothly even when the ball isn't rolling: Newcastle had to cancel their planned training camp in Dubai due to the Middle East war.

I think the stint with the national team will do him good. He'll also use the FA Cup break to train under Eddie. Nick will come out of the break stronger, especially if he's used in an attacking role.

Yes, I guess that's the case. Just look at some of the other players: Murphy - Apart from good aggression and work rate, he has little to offer. His crosses are so bad, they only occasionally find their target. Murphy has about as much game intelligence as a loaf of white bread. Willock - Very few good plays, otherwise it's all hot air. Elanga - He's getting into better form, but so far he's delivered far less than Woltemade. Osula - He tries, but he's ineffective. Wissa - A complete failure, partly due to his injury. He was signed as a finished product, but he hasn't shown any of that yet. Tonali - Could be so good, but he shows flashes of brilliance and inconsistency. Far too inconsistent. He's made a few too many mistakes this season. Ramsey - Could show so much more, but he displays his quality far too rarely. Another underperformer. Trippier - Always committed, but he's well past his prime, far too slow. Pope and Ramsdale – both goalkeepers are of average Premier League caliber. Gordon – plays with a knack for brilliance and insanity. Incredibly fast. But unfortunately, he has some weak games. Bright spots: Hall, Thiaw, Miley, Bruno, Joelinton, Barnes. Maybe Botman too. Burn, for me, is an absolute leader with unwavering determination. A header specialist at 2.01 meters. Yes, you're right, Toon probably has a bigger problem than Woltemade. But it's so easy to make him the scapegoat.

I completely agree. Nick played a good game today. I especially noticed his improved robustness and tackling ability. Today's performance also demonstrated his strength in attack. His ball distribution in the forward line is exceptional; unfortunately, some other players on the team are limited in that area.

I completely agree. Nick plays the best passes on the team and distributes the ball most intelligently. Unfortunately, we don't have enough players with game intelligence on the team.

Yes, exactly. Joelinton gets a yellow card, but the Spaniard, for an identical incident, receives a few minutes' notice for a foul on Joelinton and doesn't get a yellow card. This discrepancy has been bothering me about Real Madrid and Barcelona for a long time.

What always annoys me about Spanish clubs is how the players always act and try to win free kicks. And what I find worst of all is that the referees fall for it so often.

That's always the way it is with Barca or Real. They get the penalty, the opponent doesn't. I've been observing that for at least 20 years.

Football can be so cruel. The referee can, of course, add on stoppage time for the substitution, but I've also seen many matches where stoppage time wasn't extended. Olmo wanted the penalty and he got it. That was his only chance. The middle was very congested; he would never have gotten through. Unfortunately, Thiaw did him the favor of letting him go down.

Who would have expected this development after his successful first few months at Toon!? Wirtz was considered the biggest flop in the Premier League, and Wolte the most positive surprise. And now Wirtz is world-class, and Wolte is the flop. Eddie destroyed Wolte's reputation by playing him in midfield. From fan favorite to scapegoat. I never want to see Wolte play in midfield again. Either as a striker or on the bench.

Willock is so weak.

I can no longer watch Wolte play so defensively. Completely ineffective.

Elanga is so ineffective again. Poor crosses, poor corners, loses almost every challenge. Wolte isn't a midfielder. Off with Elanga and Wolte. On with Joelinton and Gordon.

From Kicker, Germany's most important sports magazine: Woltemade: The paradox of his goal-scoring crisis Nick Woltemade is one of the players that national coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke about at length in a major interview with kicker magazine. According to Nagelsmann, the former Stuttgart player doesn't have to worry about his World Cup spot, even though things aren't going particularly well for Newcastle United at the moment. Why is that? An analysis. Psychologically, Julian Nagelsmann is doing everything right with regard to Nick Woltemade. In a major interview with kicker, he shows him his appreciation and expresses his confidence in him, because he believes in his fundamental abilities. Although the Magpies' attacking midfielder has been waiting for a Premier League goal since December and missed Wednesday's match against Manchester United (2-1) due to illness, he is not a doubtful member of the World Cup squad this summer. Or, as Nagelsmann puts it: "I told him to stay relaxed." Woltemade and Newcastle's relationship has moved beyond the honeymoon phase. Currently, it's rather complicated. Initially, everything seemed to be going exceptionally well. Unlike Bayern Munich's approach, Stuttgart's interest from the English club was met with an immediate positive response, because suddenly a price range was being discussed that the German champions weren't willing to demand. Max Eberl's famous question, "Is Woltemade worth 80 million?", was answered by Newcastle United, or rather their Saudi Arabian owners, with a weary smile and indirectly with: "For us, yes." The whole situation was also due to a certain amount of necessity and pressure, after Alexander Isak had forced his way to Liverpool and the Champions League participant from northern England had already received several rejections. Woltemade wasn't the first choice, but a good one, as his impressive performances in the first few games, where he scored four goals in five matches, clearly demonstrated. These days, however, he no longer plays as a center forward, but rather as a kind of free spirit in the number 10 role, sometimes even as a number 8. The paradox is this: Woltemade's versatility is all well and good and speaks in his favor, but it costs him credit, at least in the public eye, because suddenly others (if anyone) are scoring for the Magpies. Those who are allowed to play instead of his number nine. Anthony Gordon, for example, actually a winger, or William Osula, or even Yoane Wissa. The latter, however, rather rarely. Woltemade already stood out in Stuttgart for his exceptional ball control and excellent technique, especially considering his height of 1.98 meters. Because of this, and because the Magpies have recently focused more on counter-attacking football, they need Woltemade to play in a deeper central role. And so, by the end of the first half of the season, he had a respectable seven goals to his name, which, among other things, led to kicker magazine ranking Woltemade among their international-class players. Now, however, he still only has seven goals. It's a goal drought, but one that is partly explainable given his position. Despite all the justified appreciation for Nagelsmann, who currently prioritizes fundamental ability over current form, it must be said about Woltemade: he's doing a decent job, but not an outstanding one. His playing time serves as an indicator of this: Woltemade last played a full 90 minutes in the Premier League on December 2nd. And since Germany's national team may have some problem areas, but certainly not in the number 10 position, Woltemade is currently playing in a different zone for his club than he does for the national team. Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are likely to be the first-choice strikers there. And what about Woltemade behind him? Nagelsmann's words may indeed reassure him, but firstly, goals are allowed from deeper positions, and secondly, he might need them for his confidence. On the other hand, Woltemade has earned the status for Germany that Nagelsmann has reflected, because he was reliably present and scored important goals in the World Cup qualifiers. But it would obviously help him a great deal if Newcastle, currently twelfth in the table, could finally turn things around. And climb back up. In the Champions League, they have to prove themselves in the round of 16 against Barcelona. The team – and, if he gets the chance, Woltemade himself – will need to prove himself. Because the whole truth about Woltemade's demotion to midfield also includes the fact that he has benefited from injuries to his competitors. Otherwise, he might be starting on the bench even more often than he already does.

I'm incredibly frustrated now. I haven't written many comments lately. The first three or four months were thrilling, and Nick played so well. Then something must have happened for his form to decline so quickly. I don't know if it's because Eddie wanted to transform him into a different player than the one he was when he arrived. But it's just not working anymore. In his current tactical role, he'll continue to deteriorate and, more importantly, lose even more support from the fans. He's not an attacking midfielder, he's a striker, even as a second striker, not a midfielder, especially not in the Premier League. I can hardly stand to see him like this anymore. I'd rather have him rotating with Wissa up front than continue to get worse in midfield. He barely gets any more balls in midfield than he did as a striker. Either he's moving incorrectly between the lines, or his teammates simply don't see him. He's constantly signaling that he wants the ball short, but he's almost never passed to him. Things can't continue like this for him. Either coming in as a striker or from the bench. Sorry, but I'm frustrated.