Wes made no mistake. Wow. Deserving of a crotch grab and tap of the arm while staring down Pirlo on that one. In all seriousness, the assist and dribbling was really awesome and made the goal happen. Subs out the goalscorer and assist giver and the subs get another goal and assist! Pirlo had the Midas touch today.
We’re calling his first chance a missed one? Seems harsh, did well to bring the ball down with a good first touch, and the defense was very quick on the cover, so he couldn’t shoot far post. He only had that window to aim for, and put a good strike in with his left foot. I thought he did well there.
Was a 50/50 chance at best. Maybe an attacking player on form has the composure to bring it down, and get it on his right foot for a far post placement but Weston did well to control it and fire. Keeper made a good save and forced it for the corner. Maybe on another day he deflects it for a Juve tap in. All in all another great day for Weston. Their fans love him. They want 11 of the "texan" as they like to call him.
I would guess the xG there was something like 0.2 or less. You’d be surprised how much easier the opportunities that are in the 0.5 range are.
Is there a xG database like MLB has with Statcast? I'd love to see some vids / more data on it. Like if Judge hits a 106mph homer you can see the other data and sometimes the video on the MLB site. Euro soccer have anything like that?
I'm seeing a lot of love for Wes on the italian forums; especially given his benching. Thankfully it worked out for Wes (and Pirlo) as he put himself in positions to eventually score the third goal against a possibly tired Milan defense. This might have been Pirlo's strategy all along but it could also be because Pirlo sees signs of Wes wearing down and wants to rotate to preserve energy levels for future games.
Great goal but that's some poor defending. McK's marker totally lost him (and should've been marker the runner at the back post...); but credit to the guy for continuing the play and finding a huge hole in the D. Italy, the new Holland of defending
Yep, for a guy who came on in the 63' the praise and appreciation are significant, especially compared to the universally panned Bentancur and Rabiot. Open the below link in Chrome and translate to English. Most posters just gave numerical ratings, but the ones who went into more detail were particularly interesting (and pro-Wes vis a vis his competition for midfield spots). As an aside, more than just that thread, the forum is very useful to see what Italian Juve fans think of Wes and their team at large. https://www.vecchiasignora.com/topic/351110-milan-juventus-1-3-le-pagelle-e-il-migliore-in-campo/
Did you see Wes bait his marker like he was going make the run behind him? As soon as the defender turned to look at the ball Wes changed his run to the near post. That shit was subtle and well executed.
The game was WIDE OPEN when Weston came on and Pirlo looks like a genius inserting him when he did IMO. Not only did he give Weston a little needed rest (see how everybody else was just gassed on both clubs by the 60th) but he managed to put him in at the perfect time to maximize his impact. Quality of minutes over quantity. Kudos to Pirlo. Weston is emerging as the heir to Vidal for them. Long way to go to have that legacy but the comparisons continue.
Weston truly is great. Love the guy, it always seems like he's in an attacking position now but i don't think he really gets caught out defensively that often which speaks to his great work-rate IMO. Just finished watching the match and wow do i love hearing a Stuart Robson commentating a game after hearing a Cherundolo or Holden commentated match. Such a pro
Wes always looked like the best of a bad bunch at Schalke. Amazing how he looks when put into a quality team. not to get off topic, but would love to see Sargent put into a good situation on a good team. I think people would really be amazed at how successful he would be.
I don't think Sargent would make that run that Wes did today. He doesn't work or know how to find those spaces to get the ball in dangerous places. If he needs it on a platter to score goals he's going to struggle where ever he plays.
Yeah that was a great ball. I can't believe how much I've enjoyed watching Juve. I've never paid much attention to Serie A and I'm digging it.
What a fun 30 minutes for Wes. That pass from Ronaldo was magical, too bad the keeper made that stop. Wes’ left foot didn’t look too shabby. Glad Wes had a good finish later, drilling it a bit over the sliding goalie. these past few games of his have been so much fun to watch. He is really shining on a quality team.
Wes is certainly my favorite Yank Abroad right now... Just love watching him hustle on both sides of the ball. IMO, the control and shot with the left foot from CR7's pass was fantastic. Just a good save from the keeper. Nice to see him get rewarded with a relative sitter... he was also wide open twice more in his 30 minutes but the pass/cross wasn't on target. But what about that fancy footwork in the right corner against 3 players? Looked like he got hit in the face when he lost the ball but that was some unreal skill. His skill is way underrated. Great to see him on a team of that caliber after suffering at Schalke. He looks like he belongs.
crazy highlight video, shows some of the flicks I've been talking about. Dude has expanded his game. Beast.
Which is the key. Plenty of players get into the right positions and freeze, take panicky slash at it or fire wide. The kid's composure, in this as in so many other aspects, is really impressive, especially at this level.
Josh doesn’t need it on a platter. We will have to disagree about his work rate. he just needs to be on a team that can possess the ball and create some chances. again, not trying to hijack Wes’s thread. Just pointing out the improvement in his game since arriving at Juve, and hoping some of our other young stars can find the same success.
Some tidbits... Romeo Agresti, who in Italy when he speaks it's taken as gospel, stated that Juve has been in contact with McKennie's agent to notify him of their intent to make his loan move permanent. Also, Wes might not start every game. Much like in December, Juve has a game every 3-4 days in January and with a couple players out there's going to be some rotation. Juve has a game every weekend and Wednesday this month so there will be plenty of playing time.