Liverpool vs Newcastle: Life after Alexander Isak and ‘the most talked about thing in world football’

And it wasn’t just the goals.

This side has long relied on Isaac’s movement at the back.

Although Wessa also plays on the shoulder, the 29-year-old suffered a knee injury while on international duty with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, severely delaying his debut after being pushed to leave Brentford.

As a result, the tall Waltmad, who has a completely different appearance, was left to shoulder the burden from the start, having never played outside Germany before.

Voltimad found the net with each of his first six shots on target, but there was no way the striker would keep scoring at this rate – not least with the number of games he had to play during Wessa’s absence.

Prior to Wessa’s debut last month, Voltimad had made 19 appearances for club and country in just 92 days – an unprecedented run for a player whose Stuttgart career only began just over a year ago.

The couple had to quickly adapt to the details, structure, and intensity of life under Howe’s rule.

That was challenge enough for fellow striker Anthony Gordon when Newcastle had clear weeks to prepare for matches following his move from Everton in January 2023.

But the schedule has been particularly tough with Newcastle competing on four fronts this season, so Voltimad and Wesa have had to rely on individual video analysis sessions.

“It took me a long time to adapt to the way we play when I first got here, so I understand the position they’re in,” Gordon said.

“We have played a lot of games, so they are changing and changing players because of the heavy load we have.

“I feel for them. It’s difficult to adapt to the way we play, but the more I play with them, the more I get used to their movements and I try to adapt my game to them as best I can to make them successful.”