German striker Nick Woltemade scored his first goal for Juventus Turin during his first start in a 3-0 Europa League victory over NEC Nijmegen on Thursday. The 24-year-old on-loan forward converted a 35th-minute penalty after facing heavy criticism from Italian sports media following a slow start in Serie A.
Nick Woltemade’s early weeks in Italian football delivered a stark contrast between high-profile fashion attention and sharp sporting criticism. Known in style circles for showcasing a distinctive retro look upon his arrival in Turin, the 24-year-old forward faced a less forgiving reception on the pitch. Following a deadline-day loan move from Newcastle United at the end of August, the player nicknamed the Zwei-Meter-Messi
found himself under immediate pressure after managing just two brief substitute appearances totaling 44 minutes without a goal or assist in domestic league play. Prior to his first start, Woltemade had played 16 minutes against AC Mailand in a 1-1 draw and 30 minutes in a 2-3 defeat against Sassuolo.
Media Backlash and Early Struggles in Serie A
The Italian sports press wasted little time evaluating the newcomer’s contributions during Juventus’s opening matches. Following the league defeat against Sassuolo and the draw against AC Mailand, outlets scrutinized the club’s offensive output. The Gazzetta dello Sport published an analysis asserting that “Woltemade hat offensichtlich große Probleme, sich in die Team-Dynamik zu integrieren. Er hat versucht, sein Bestes zu geben. Aber in den entscheidenden Momenten fehlt ihm die Klarheit in seinen Aktionen, was insbesondere in diesen Spielen, wo jede Aktion entscheidend sein kann, auffällt.” The publication added that both the German striker and his French offensive teammate Randal Kolo Muani had thus far failed to “einen Unterschied zu machen.”
The Gazzetta also noted that Woltemade missed a significant scoring opportunity in both his first match against AC Mailand and the fixture against Sassuolo, concluding that “Woltemade vergibt: Dem Deutschen fehlt es an Präzision, und er macht alles falsch.” The publication further stated regarding the broader offensive struggles that “Vier Spiele und kein einziges Tor, dazu diverse Szenen, die bei Fans der Konkurrenz schnell als spöttische Social-Media-Clips die Runde machten. Ungeschickte Ballannahmen, missglückte Hackentricks, die beim Gegner landeten, und – was besonders schwer wiegt – kaum gefährliche Torchancen. Nein, so kann es nicht weitergehen. Der Angriff von Juventus funktioniert nicht.”
Additional scrutiny came from the Corriere dello Sport, which wrote: “Wie ärgerlich ist es, wenn sich ausgerechnet die Neuzugänge, denen man monatelang hinterhergejagt ist (und für die man viel zu viel bezahlt hat), als die größten Enttäuschungen der Truppe erw” Yet not all local commentary was uniformly harsh. Tuttosport offered a more measured assessment, noting that Woltemade had briefly disrupted opposing defenses after coming off the bench in his debut outing, even if finishing opportunities remained elusive.
Breakthrough Performance Against NEC Nijmegen in the Europa League
Manager Luciano Spalletti altered his lineup for the team’s opening Europa League fixture against Eredivisie club NEC Nijmegen, deploying Woltemade as the single striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, supported by an offensive line featuring Nico Gonzalez, Weston McKennie, and Kerim Alajbegovic. Technical Director Frederic Massara explained the tactical rationale before kickoff:
Frederic Massara, Technical Director at Juventus, stated that he was a strong striker like Kolo Muani and that they thought he could complement him well, noting that the Frenchman was more direct and played more into the depth, whereas the German knew how to present himself well in the passing game and the penalty area, adding that they were confident.
Juventus established early control at the Juventus Stadium. Following an opening goal by Nicolás González in the 8th minute—assisted by goalkeeper Kamil Grabara after a mistake by keeper Nikolas Polster—and a second strike from Alajbegovic with a shot from 16 meters in the 24th minute, Woltemade claimed his moment. Earlier in the 23rd minute, Woltemade had already threatened with a difficult close-range opportunity that was stopped by Polster. In the 35th minute, after González was fouled inside the area, González handed the ball directly to Woltemade and wiped his hair encouragingly before the penalty kick. The forward sent NEC goalkeeper Polster the wrong way and placed his shot half-height into the left corner to secure a 3-0 advantage, prompting celebrations from his teammates and approving applause from Spalletti on the sideline.
Upcoming Fixtures and National Team Duty
The maiden goal arrives at a pivotal juncture for the player’s season. Juventus sits eighth in the Serie A table with seven points from four matches and hosts Atalanta Bergamo at home on Sunday at 18:00 before heading into an international break. Despite his limited club minutes prior to Thursday, national team coach Jürgen Klopp selected Woltemade alongside Jonathan Burkardt as the two strikers for the upcoming Länderspause matches against Serbia on October 1 and Greece on October 4.
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