The game against Bayern München on Sunday afternoon represented a huge task for Nick Woltemade. Standing in for Marvin Ducksch – suspended for the Bayern game after accruing five yellows for the season – the towering Germany Under-21 international was brought in to give Werder security on the ball up against Bayern’s top-class centre-half pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt. That was head coach Ole Werner’s plan. And it wasn’t just Werder’s coach who was happy it came to fruition.
Following the 1-0 victory in the Bavarian capital, Ole Werner was unsurprised by his protégé’s performance. “We weren’t scratching our eyes, because we know what Nick can do,” explained Werner at the end of the game. Woltemade, making his first appearance in the starting XI since the fourth game of the season at Heidenheim, put his quality on show against the Bundesliga’s most successful club, winning back possession and distributing the ball to his teammates with confidence.
Until his substitution in the 65th minute, Woltemade – a third-division player as recently as last season – was not only comfortable in possession, but formed an exciting partnership with Justin Njinmah. “Nick is simply unpleasant to play against, because he always has the ball at his feet. He kept the ball under control and played it into space well,” was the analysis of Werder’s head of professional football Clemens Fritz on the 21-year-old’s performance at the Allianz Arena.
He then heaped further praise on the striker and the whole team: “I don’t want to single anyone out for praise, but Nick had a great game. You have to play well if you want to win here. So that’s a massive compliment to the team.” Coach Werner also didn't want to highlight anyone especially at the game’s conclusion. Nevertheless, he agreed with Fritz’s words and appreciated the young forward’s display. “That was a top performance.”
