Nick Woltemade snubbed - Julian Nagelsmann fails to practice what he preached to Newcastle United
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has previously fired swipes at Eddie Howe for his handling of Nick Woltemade.
Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw were unused substitutes as Germany thrashed Curacao in their opening World Cup fixture.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side avoided an early scare - when the tournament minnows equalised on 21 minutes - to coast towards a routine win. However, there was no opportunity given to either Newcastle United star last night.
While Thiaw was always likely to remain a substitute, Woltemade would have hoped to get off the mark in North America. Instead, Nagelsmann started Kai Havertz up front, who repaid that faith with two goals in either half.
To make matters worse, Deniz Undav - who filled Woltemade’s goalscoring void at Stuttgart last season - came off the bench to find the net and create two assists. Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala and Nathaniel Brown completed the rout.
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Nick Woltemade snub
Woltemade would have fancied filling his boots against a side sitting 82nd in the FIFA rankings. But it was not to be - with Malick Thiaw also stuck on the bench in Houston.
The £69million man bagged four goals in qualification - including a decisive winner against Northern Ireland to secure Germany's ticket to North America. He was also the top scorer at the under-21s Euros last summer.
A mixed campaign on Tyneside now places Woltemade third in the pecking order, with Nagelsmann only playing one recognised centre-forward. The tournament is in its infancy but the 24-year-old will be hoping to get an opportunity against Ivory Coast or Ecuador.
Julian Nagelsmann swipe
Nagelsmann’s omission is a surprise as he has fired multiple digs at Eddie Howe using Woltemade as a midfielder in recent months - only to snub him altogether. He told reporters: “He’s not a classic counter-attacking striker. At Newcastle, he’s often 70 metres away from goal, which makes it difficult for him to get into the box.
“He often initiated things out wide, and then the ball was in the box so quickly that he could no longer get there himself. You have to get him closer to goal. Every coach chooses his own style.”
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