HOWE PRAISES NICK WOLTEMADE: STAR STRIKER READY FOR UCL CHALLENGE DESPITE SETBACK WORRIES
Newcastle star Nick Woltemade, settled in with eight goals and his best friend, laughed off questions about his dating life ahead of the crucial UCL game vs. Leverkusen.
Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade chuckled when asked about his dating life since moving to Tyneside.
The 23-year-old striker spoke at a press event before heading back to Germany for Wednesday's Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Woltemade, who joined from Stuttgart four months ago for about £69 million, has had a great start, scoring eight goals and getting one assist.
When asked about how he's settling in, he mentioned living with his best friend.
"I don't get why everyone's talking about living with my friend," he told reporters. It's normal when you move to a new country, right? I just asked my friend to come with me. I don't know what you call it in English, living with your best friend.
Then, when asked if he's met anyone special, Woltemade laughed and said, No, too many games!
Newcastle is currently in fifteenth place in their Champions League group, with three wins and two losses.
They’re up against a Leverkusen team that's not doing so well in their domestic league, sitting fourth and trailing the top spot by 15 points.
However, Eddie Howe had good things to say about the German team, which let go of their previous coach earlier in the year.
Reaching the next phase is what we want, Howe said. It'd be great to avoid a playoff, but we’re up against some good teams.
I’m happy with how we've played in the Champions League so far. We deserved more in our two losses. Bayer Leverkusen is a great team with a clear style, so it'll be tough.
Lately, we've had trouble defending set plays, but that's fixable. You always find things you suddenly need to work on during the season.
Howe also gave an update on Yoane Wissa, who played his first game for the club in their 2-1 victory over Burnley.
Howe said Wissa has worked hard to get here. He still has some work to do to reach his peak. Howe said he's happy to have him available, and they’ll manage his playing time.
Once Yoane is at full speed, which he isn't quite yet, he'll be ready to start, Howe added. We'll decide game by game.
After the Champions League game, Newcastle will travel to Sunderland for the Tyne-Wear derby.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: EDDIE HOWE IDENTIFIES "CONFIDENCE" AS THE KEY TO FIXING NEWCASTLE’S AWAY FORM
Despite a nervy second half, Eddie Howe’s side clinched their second away win of the season. Read the full Turf Moor match report.
Eddie Howe’s team barely scraped by Burnley, grabbing only their second Premier League away win this season.
The Magpies jumped ahead quickly with a goal from Joelinton at Turf Moor. Soon after, Yoane Wissa, in his debut Premier League start for the club, made it 2-0. Josh Laurent then scored an awesome volley, cutting the lead in half. Newcastle clung to their lead until Bruno Guimaraes scored a third goal during stoppage time.
It wasn't a pretty game for Newcastle United on that cold night in Lancashire. They needed those three points, especially after that tough loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.
This win nudged Howe’s team into the top half of the Premier League, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United up next. But, let's be real, their play didn't exactly inspire confidence that they've turned things around away from home.
Eddie Howe shared his thoughts on Newcastle United’s win over Burnley. What’s the answer to their away game struggles? Howe thinks it boils down to ‘confidence.’
“I think we've been close before. I feel we're headed in the right direction when you look at how we’re playing, Howe said as he talked about his team’s showing.
“If you keep playing well, you’ll win. Manchester United is a good example. I don’t think we played badly, and we had chances to get more from the game. We didn't score, but we played well overall.
“I think we will win games because of the kind of play that we have, and that’s what happened. We're not feeling super confident right now, which is clear.
“But, I think it’s mostly a confidence thing. And the only way to fix that is to win the next game.”
Howe said this: “It was a huge win for us. I don't think it matters how we got it. We just needed to get it.
“We started really strong, knowing how crucial this game was. I can’t say enough about how the players fought through it.
“That second half was significant for us. We had to make it.
“I give the players credit for finishing the game and showing the team's character.”
Newcastle United now has a few days to chill after the win at Turf Moor before heading back to Tyneside for four home games in a row. First up is Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. After that, they’re up against Daniel Farke’s Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, January 7.
Then, they’ve got two cup games against Premier League teams. They’re hosting Bournemouth in the FA Cup and then playing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
EDDIE HOWE ADDRESSES ALAN SHEARER’S COMMENTS BEFORE TONIGHT’S MAJOR KICKOFF AT BURNLEY
Alan Shearer sets a massive challenge for Newcastle United: win the next four games to ignite their 2026 Premier League campaign.
Before tonight's game against Burnley, Alan Shearer told Newcastle United what he wants to see in the next month.
Newcastle is currently 14th in the Premier League, which isn't good enough, but there's still a lot of the season left.
Even though Eddie Howe isn't in danger of losing his job, people are still worried about how the team is playing.
Another loss at Burnley on Tuesday would really increase the pressure. Alan Shearer thinks this game could be the start of something better.
Newcastle United Needs to Win Their Next Four Games
On Match of the Day, the Newcastle United legend sounded positive about the team's next few games and & thinks this could turn their season around.
He said, Yes, this could change things. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Fulham would get demoted, but they've won three straight games, and & now they're in the top half.
Newcastle needs to do that. Their next four games are against Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. They have a good chance to win some.
These four league games are part of a busy January for Newcastle, with important Champions League matches against PSV Eindhoven and PSG and an FA Cup game against Bournemouth, as well as the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Man City.
This period of games could really make or break Newcastle's season.
He should stay until the end of the season so everyone can make a better decision instead of rushing into anything. Hopefully, there will be more choices to replace him by the summer.
Where Newcastle Could Be If They Win
Let's say Newcastle wins all four of their games. It might happen, but those 12 points might just push Newcastle to just outside the top five or six in the league.
Aston Villa could get no points during that time and still be ahead of Newcastle before they play each other at the end of January. That shows how far apart Newcastle and Aston Villa are this season.
Still, getting to 35 points before the end of next month would really help Newcastle. The teams above them will probably also get points, so Newcastle might not move up the table much, but it's important for them to catch up to their rivals soon.