It was not just the goals.
This side had long relied on Isak’s movement in behind.
Though Wissa also plays on the shoulder, the 29-year-old suffered a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo, which severely delayed his debut after he pushed to leave Brentford.
The towering Woltemade, who has a very different profile, was left to shoulder the burden from the off, as a result, having never previously played outside Germany.
Woltemade found the back of the net with each of his first six shots on target, but it was hardly sustainable for the forward to keep scoring at such a rate – not least with the number of games he had to play while Wissa was sidelined.
Before Wissa made his full debut, last month, Woltemade started 19 matches for club and country in just 92 days – an unprecedented run for a player whose career only truly took off at Stuttgart little more than a year ago.
The pair have had to adapt quickly to the detail, structure and intensity of life under Howe.
That was challenging enough for fellow forward Anthony Gordon to do when Newcastle had clear weeks to prepare for games following his move from Everton in January 2023.
But the schedule has been particularly relentless as Newcastle fight on four fronts this season, so Woltemade and Wissa have had to rely on individual video analysis sessions.
“It took me a long time to adjust to the way we play when I first came here, so I understand the position that they are in,” Gordon said.
“We have got so many games so they are chopping and changing who plays because of the heavy load that we have.
“I do feel for them. It is difficult to adapt to the way that we play but the more I play with them, the more I am getting used to their movements and trying to adapt my game to them the best I can to make them succeed.”
