Everyone obsessing over his 2nd half is correct to do so. For me, he was just as good in the first half, but his teammates were awful. That was as good a performance as anyone could put in given what’s around him. If he keeps that level up, he won’t have to worry about who Schalke signs because he’ll be funding it. He’s got that “it” factor, imo.
Agree. His first 10-15 minutes in the first half were also very good but the announcers never noticed. I'm kind of really down on Tedesco. Last year I thought he didn't have much to work with but hid it well. Now I realize he likes to play an ugly clogging game and it makes his players look like plodding donkeys offensively.
Check out @BetweenThePosts’s Tweet: Passmaps & xGplot for Schalke '04 against Wolfsburg. #passmap #xGplot #autotweet pic.twitter.com/HczJFxyrRt— Between The Posts (@BetweenThePosts) January 20, 2019 As long as he's playing, @WMckennie is happy to help out at either end 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/JHMshK0SdH— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 20, 2019
Wolfsburg put on a clinic in the back by turning McKennie into the 9 in the first half. McKennie was responsible for the first goal. He had no idea how to press. At the half Tedesco adjusted and used McKennie laterally in a more withdrawn position which led to the winning goal with (Donovan-esque)assist to McKennie.
He was a modern Stu Holden, playing the CM/AM hybrid role. Can he evolve into a playmaker? It'd be a blessing for us. Kid seems smart enough for the role, we have to see if the technique is there.
I have to say, I thought his passing for large parts of the game was not very good. His pass on the assist was on the money, but he was just slightly off on a good number of passes, and at one point the Schalke crowd let him know about it. At a couple of points during the mid to late second half, passing from both teams was atrocious. Looked like MLS level. I have a feeling that was down to fatigue given they were both just back from the Winterpause. All that being said, the kid is clearly a solid contributor for Schalke null vier. While not their best (yet), he is on his way, IMO. I was impressed by the direct passing of JAB, on the other hand, that kid can distribute when under no pressure.
It is great that he can fill in and rise to the occasion but I do see his positon as an 8. His passes in the final third were lacking and his stregnth is winning the ball and driving forward.
Agreed, he's not, at this point, a 10, which was where they seemed to play him in the beginning. He moved back to an 8 later in the first half and in the second, in which role he seemed to improve.
What's interesting about this, is that Sarachan kinda had him doing this a few times (vs Mexico comes to mind), and Mckennie looked awful. I chalk it up to Sarachan's planning rather than Mckennie's ability, but when he came off in the first half vs. Mexico, the whole team's shape changed for the better because Green is at least a little more used to that role. I no longer think Mckennie is Jones' heir... he's got the potential to be much much more than JJ...
I'm not surprised that Sarachan would misuse a young player like Mckennie who is still growing into the game. But we can see he is improving before our very eyes. Whatever growing pains there may be, it will be worth it--just like it was for Pulisic.
JJ was good defensively and he scored a few important goals. I'd say McKennie would be only a more modern version of him, and that's a lot, our NT sorely misses someone like that. If he can play a more advanced role, though, that'd be great. But that's a big if.
I'm not entirely sure I'd describe it as misuse... it looked more like there was a lack of instruction coming from Sarachan beyond "try and create chances going forward". Outside of Trapp, almost the entire midfield looked lost and disorganized in most of the matches against quality opponents. I think Tedesco is showing that Mckennie can be a contributor further up the field with the right role and instruction. I'm surprised how far forward Weston's average position was vs Wolfsburg according to the passing charts.
Only Caligiuri and the keeper are rated higher. On the other hand, JAB got a 2,5 that makes him top player in his team with the keeper and Mehmedi. Not a bad game at all, from our perspective. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...tellung_fc-schalke-04-2_vfl-wolfsburg-24.html
Glad you pointed this out. He was definitely part of the poor passing in the first half. He had a couple in particular that made me cringe far more than others had made on the team. It’s as if some of the posters here only watched the 2nd half where he was a totally different player. If we consistently get the 2nd half McKennie we could see him at a club like Liverpool, but I’ve only seen quick glimpses of him playing like he did in the 2nd half in other games this year.