Newcastle United suffered a 2-1 loss against Manchester City yesterday, despite taking the game to the hosts in the second half.
The Magpies sit in 10th place, nine points away from the Champions League places.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe started £69.5 million striker Nick Woltemade in midfield, and he looked lost.
Woltemade had zero shots. He touched the ball 26 times and lost it eight times. He lost 7/10 duels and let Antoine Semenyo get past him easily for the City winner.
While Woltemade is an odd fit as a centre-forward, he looks even worse in the engine room.
He was like a fish out of water, struggling to make an impact in a position he was unaccustomed to.
With only one goal in his last 17 outings, it is clear that he is not in clinical form, but he shouldn’t be starting games in midfield.
Woltemade is a rare profile in the modern game.
The 24-year-old is a towering, technically gifted player who should be occupying centre-backs, pinning them deep and giving Newcastle a direct focal point in the box.
Howe is asking him to shuffle around in midfield, chasing shadows and fighting battles that do not suit his strengths.
The manager successfully reinvented Joelinton in a deeper role. But Joelinton’s transformation was built on relentless pressing, physical duels and defensive intensity.
Woltemade is a different mould entirely. He is not a midfield scrapper. He is a striker who thrives in the penalty area.
Persisting with this experiment is doing neither the player nor the team any favours.
Newcastle need goals. They need his presence in the final third. Woltemade cannot provide that when he is stationed 40 yards from the opposition box.
