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FITNESS FLOP: ALEXANDER ISAK MUST LEARN FROM WOLTEMADE, SAYS DANNY MILLS

Pundit Danny Mills says Alexander Isak's poor Liverpool start is his own fault after his £125m move. But he backs the striker to come good despite his struggles.

Fitness Flop: Alexander Isak Must Learn from Woltemade, Says Danny Mills
Isak's Liverpool Woes Vs Woltemade's Flying Start

Danny Mills has a pretty strong view on why Alexander Isak is struggling at Liverpool after his big transfer from Newcastle.

The former England and Leeds United defender thinks Isak's slow start is on him, mainly because he missed preseason training.

Isak moved to Liverpool for a whopping £125 million this summer, but he hasn't scored yet in the Premier League or Champions League.

Apparently, he pushed hard to leave Newcastle, and now he's trying to catch up with his fitness.

Mills understands how missing pre-season can mess with a player, but he still believes Isak will do well at Liverpool.

Mills told BetWright, It's tough to see how much not having a preseason has hurt Alexander Isak.

It might have been his choice, but either way, he's not ready for games and is behind everyone else.

Then there are other things, like moving, getting your family settled, and learning a new team and training style. It takes time to adjust.

Strikers need good passes, and when the team isn't doing well, it hurts their scoring. You have to look at the bigger picture. Also, teams might play more defensively against Liverpool, which makes it harder.

Isak is a great player, and he'll get there. Didier Drogba took a while to settle at Chelsea, and other top strikers have had slow starts too.

In contrast, Nick Woltemade, who replaced Isak at Newcastle, has scored six goals since joining from Stuttgart for £69 million. He has a total of 11 goals for his club and country this season.

Mills thinks Isak should watch Woltemade to see how to make an impact on a new team.

Mills added that, unlike Alexander Isak, Nick Woltemade joined a Newcastle team that was already working well, with a clear way of playing. He's looked sharp and scored some goals.

It's so important to start well, especially for a striker. Once you get that first league goal, it's a huge relief, and people stop worrying about when your big signing will score.

When you're trying to catch up, you can try too hard, which makes things worse. Plus, Liverpool is under pressure as Premier League champions who are in bad form, so the whole situation gets tougher.

Woltemade doesn't have the same pressure as Isak, which is partly Isak's fault, but he can play more freely and relax, which has helped him start strong at Newcastle.

AARON RAMSDALE VS NICK POPE: THE GOALKEEPER WHO SOLVES NEWCASTLE'S PRESSING PROBLEM

Aaron Ramsdale showcased elite distribution, dissecting Everton's press with a crucial pass, leading to a goal chance. Eddie Howe praises the new dynamic Ramsdale brings over Nick Pope.

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Howe Praises Ramsdale's Footwork in Everton Victory

Newcastle United's victory was clear long before the 79th minute at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Newcastle fans in the corner were ecstatic. They were enjoying their hard-won Premier League away victory.

The Newcastle team was having fun on the field. Everton showed some fight, with Thierno Barry having a goal disallowed prior to Kieran Dewsbury-Hall scoring a consolation goal. Then, United took charge again and kept the ball for almost a minute, spreading play across the field before returning it to goalie Aaron Ramsdale.

The travelling fans were so pleased they could have started chanting 'ole' as Newcastle toyed with Everton. Many home fans had already left.

Ramsdale stood casually, his foot on the ball inside his penalty area. Everton pushed forward to press, with three midfielders pressuring Lewis Miley and Bruno Guimaraes. Barry moved towards Ramsdale, blocking the pass to Malick Thiaw.

The United goalie could have kicked the ball long towards Nick Woltemade, who is physically big, or passed left to Dan Burn, the safer option.

Instead, he rolled the ball forward and sent a perfect pass through Everton's midfield to Joe Willock, who was unmarked. That single, precise pass broke through the press and launched a United attack.

The attack almost resulted in a fifth goal. Willock exchanged passes with Woltemade and then moved towards the defence before passing to Jacob Ramsey on his left, whose shot was saved by Jordan Pickford. If the shot had scored, it would have been one of the best goals of the weekend.

Ramsdale showed what he brings to Newcastle in that moment. He may not be as good at stopping shots as Nick Pope, but his passing is better. Pope has many good traits, but beating the press with a through ball isn't one of them.

Nick and Aaron are goalies with different strengths, Eddie Howe said.

They are still good. Today, Aaron showed his good footwork and distributed the ball well.

Newcastle were often challenged by teams that press high, as they knew Pope didn't have the traits to help them build from the back like Ederson, Alisson, Pickford, or Raya. Ramsdale offers a different aspect to United's play.

Now, it seems like the No. 1 shirt is Ramsdale’s to keep. Howe did not say if Pope would have been dropped if he hadn't hurt his groin in training. Either way, Ramsdale took his chance.

He gets to play longer, playing against Spurs on Tuesday night. He also played against them earlier in the season in the Carabao Cup.

MALICK THIAW'S RECORD GOAL ENDS NEWCASTLE'S NINE-GAME AWAY CURSE

Newcastle ends a 9-game away drought with a dominant 4-1 win at Everton. Thiaw scores quickest PL goal, Miley shines in record victory.

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Thiaw, Miley Break Records in Crushing Everton Win

Newcastle fans, rejoice. The team finally snagged their first away win of the 2025-26 Premier League season, crushing Everton 4-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium this past Saturday.

Before this game, things weren't pretty. Eddie Howe’s squad had not only failed to win on the road all season, but they’d also dropped their last three away games. This losing streak stretched back nine away matches—their worst since a 12-game slump between December 2015 and August 2017.

But this time, Newcastle came out firing, scoring in the first minute and dominating the game. By halftime, they were up 3-0.

Everton showed some life after the break. They had a goal called back before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored, but it wasn't enough to change the game.

From the jump, Newcastle was all over Everton. Anthony Elanga tested Jordan Pickford just 20 seconds in. From the corner that followed, Malick Thiaw scored after only 52 seconds—the quickest goal of the season, beating Phil Foden’s early strike against Leeds.

Lewis Miley set up the first goal and then scored one himself in the 25th minute. Everton couldn't clear the ball, Dan Burn blocked Tino Livramento's shot, and the ball landed right for Miley, who fired a left-footed shot that slipped past Pickford. This made Miley (at 19 years, 212 days) the second-youngest Newcastle player to both score and assist in a Premier League match.

Newcastle wasn't finished there. Elanga caused trouble on the right and passed to Nick Woltemade, who chipped the ball over Pickford. It was the first time since December 2018 (vs. Tottenham) that Everton had allowed three goals in the first half of a home game. David Moyes needed to shake things up.

He subbed in Charly Alcaraz at halftime, and Alcaraz almost scored when his shot hit the crossbar in the 53rd minute. Not long before, Iliman Ndiaye forced Aaron Ramsdale—who was starting his first league game for Newcastle with Nick Pope injured—to make a save.

But Newcastle struck again just before the hour mark. Lewis Hall sent in a great cross, and Thiaw headed it in for his second goal. He became the first Newcastle player to score two headers in a Premier League game since Georginio Wijnaldum against Norwich in October 2015.

Dewsbury-Hall scored for the second straight game, giving Everton a goal. He controlled a long pass and scored, but it was too late, as Newcastle cruised to their first away win of the season.

Everton vs. Newcastle: Key Stats

Malick Thiaw is the first player to score his first-ever Premier League goal in the opening minute of a match since Kenedy for Chelsea against Norwich in March 2016.

Thiaw's goal was the earliest home goal Everton has given up in the Premier League (52 seconds) since Diego Costa scored after 35 seconds for Chelsea in August 2014.

Thiaw's early goal was only the sixth scored from a corner in the opening minute of a Premier League match and the earliest since Leonardo Ulloa for Leicester against Newcastle in May 2015 (38 seconds).

Everton gave up 4+ goals in a Premier League home game for the first time since April 2023 (1-4 vs. Newcastle) and for the first time under David Moyes at home since November 2010 (1-4 vs. West Bromwich Albion).

This was Newcastle's biggest away win against a team that wasn't promoted since another 4-1 victory against Everton in April 2023.

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