After 14 competitive games without a goal, Nick Woltemade has scored again for Newcastle United. In the FA Cup away win at Aston Villa, the German played in an unfamiliar role – and decisively spurred on his teammate Sandro Tonali.
Nick Woltemade took advantage of a disastrous misplaced pass by opponent Lamare Bogarde in the 88th minute to seal the Magpies’ away win in the fourth round of the FA Cup. It was an important moment for the German international, who had been waiting for his next goal since December 20 (when he scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea).
“Personally, I had a long spell where I didn’t score any goals and didn’t play well. And of course I’m happy with my performance, my goal and our overall performance,” said Woltemade, relieved, on Saturday evening.
Woltemade “like an experienced midfielder”
After recently only being used as a substitute in the Premier League, coach Eddie Howe had something special in mind for the 24-year-old birthday boy this time: behind the equally tall center forward William Osula, Woltemade acted as a kind of deep-lying striker, sometimes even dropping back into midfield. It was a tactical move that teammate Sandro Tonali noted with approval. “I’m very happy for this great man,” said the Italian, who was undoubtedly impressed by Woltemade in his unfamiliar role: “He played like an experienced midfielder. He played very well and deserves everything, really.”
Thiaw and Tonali score after teasing each other
It was no coincidence that the two Magpies pros were asked to do a joint post-match interview. Unlike Woltemade, whose job description is naturally much more focused on scoring goals, the defensive midfielder found the back of the net for the first time since September 8, when he scored for Italy against Israel (5-4) in World Cup qualifying – twice, in fact.
It was a truly long goal drought, which his German teammate had pointed out to him beforehand – with success, as it turned out. “We always sit next to each other on the bus and at meals, and I said to Sandro, ‘You never score goals,’” Woltemade recalled with a grin.
This was the second time that the former Stuttgart player’s teasing had proved effective, as the striker had also longed for Malick Thiaw’s first Newcastle goals in the 4-1 win over Everton at the end of November. “We always joke that he can’t head the ball, and then today he scores two headers,” Woltemade said at the time.
Around two and a half months later, Woltemade was delighted with the outcome: “I think it’s crazy because we always said it was Malick – and now he’s scoring goals. Now I’ve said it to Sandro – and now he’s scoring too.”
No VAR: Howe criticizes “many mistakes”
With the away win at Villa Park, Newcastle not only secured their second consecutive victory after the 2-1 win at Tottenham, but also booked their place in the round of 16. An important result for Howe and his team – despite a less than perfect performance by the referees, who are not yet able to use video assistants in the fourth round of the FA Cup. “The referees don’t make decisions deliberately, it’s what they think at the time. But without VAR, I think there were a lot of mistakes today,” said the Magpies coach, referring primarily to the offside goal that made it 0-1 and a handball penalty that was not given – Lucas Digne had clearly blocked the ball with his arms inside the box, which incorrectly resulted in a free kick.
From the next round of the cup onwards, video evidence will be used in all Premier League stadiums. This comes as a relief to Howe, who believes that although the system sometimes dampens certain emotions, it would have been helpful on Saturday evening: “I wished VAR was in place when we conceded the first goal, and probably throughout the rest of the game as well.”
