There is no substitute for experience. He will get burned occasionally but in the long run, being on the field in any capacity is good for development, IMHO. His distribution was pretty good last week and some tempering of his adventurousness will help in the CB spot. I don't want him to become a CB, but his versatility can't be denied. Not only is it fun for us to watch, but I'm sure others are watching also, if you know what I mean.
Man, don't love Weston back there but I can see his appeal. Monster in the air and plays with great intensity. I think he has a tendency to over commit though and can be a bit overeager in defense. Also negates his powerful runs forward and pretty decent combination play. Can't complain about minutes at this point though
I can. It is one thing to have Weston fill in at CD when a player gets injured in a game and quite another if he has to fill that role for a while. I thought this was the year Weston would have the opportunity to grow offensively and he never gets a full 90 up front. The closest he came was against Leipzig and that was his best game of the year IMO. I guess if we need to start thinking about legit alternatives to Adams at CDM due to his inability to stay on the pitch then Weston might be well served with spending some more time in the back. In short, if Weston is viewed as a defensive player for the USMNT then I am perfectly fine with him spending his minutes at Schalke at CDM and CD... but if he is supposed to be part of our attack then he is missing some valuable experience up front. You can see that he is itching to make runs forward with the ball. Just doesn't seem like a pure D player to me.
That was understandable in the game last weekend, but they don't have someone else to cover this weekend? I'm sure it's not a long term plan, but it would be nice for him to get a good run at CM. Maybe there are more CB injuries than I'm aware this weekend and Wes is the best option. That's good that he's trusted. And from what I heard Wagner wants him at CM, so I'm not worried. It's a bit frustrating though.
All good points. Thinking about it, thinking about his game, he has a better chance IMO to be a very high level lock down defender than he does to be an attacking creative force. Maybe that's what Wagner sees and hence why he's typically been moved back this year as opposed to forward. Hopefully he can be both though, the sky's the limit for him as of now.
I love Wes, but I think days like this are the reason he will ultimately play for a top level (CL knockout stage level) club. This versatility at such a high level is simply amazing.
Seems like he is at center-back today. Das ist unsere Start-1⃣1⃣ für das Match gegen @f95❗️#S04 | 🔵⚪️ | #S04F95 pic.twitter.com/txrInRcCot— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) November 9, 2019 Game starts 9:30 eastern on FS2, TUDN USA, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer Match Pass, and TUDN en Vivo.
As a neutral that was a great game. As a WM fan, still don't like him at CB. Harsh reading, but he's the one who didn't track the runner on the last goal and a better of more experienced CB would have. Schalke have some good runner in midfield though which I feel they didn't last year (too lazy to look it up-- was Serder there last year? He looks great for them rn) so maybe his absence in midfield isn't as big...
does the Bundesliga have a Match of the Day-esque series that the Premier League has? Or are you guys just enjoying highlighs of individual matches?
One of Wes' small bad habits is that he too often pulls out of his tracking runs at about the 18-20. I didn't see his latest foray as CD, but that's an even worse habit if you're a centre-half. You gotta finish that run if you're last man back.
On the bench as is Sargent. Hope Schalke is up by the 65’ so Sargent comes on to get a goal and McKennie also comes on to be a pest on defense
Both of these guys look to have lost their starting jobs... Sargent never really had it... but Weston no longer seems to be starting on offense.
It's pretty common for European teams to rest players that have traveled outside the continent for international games.
I get the sense you're new to the sport, but McKennie is a central midfielder who usually plays a more defensive role. He rarely starts "on offense," which isn't really a phrase used in this game. And also to reiterate what @Dirt McGirt said, Americans (and Asians and South Americans) being rested the first game back from international breaks is very common practice.
Condescending much? Perhaps my phrasing was off... by offense, I meant not filling in at CD. And I have watched almost every game he has ever played for Schalke and he plays all over the field. He has an obvious desire to go forward... even when playing a more defensive position. He also had his best game of the year high-pressing as a winger against RB Leipzig this year. Lastly, the theme that US players get benched on the regular after Intl breaks is lame IMO... Why is Davies starting for Bayern?... Because his coach knows it gives them the best chance to win. Heck... even Morales is starting. No more excuses. I love Weston... but he has been on the bench more often than normal over the last couple of months.