Last year no one really epected much from Wes so his being a big player for Juve was amazing. This year will be interesting. New coach who did not buy him, more competition coming, need to reshuffle things after poor results last year. This year may be a rougher road for Wes than last. It will be interesting to see. If he emerges as a big player again this year under a different and more knowledgeable coach it will be a very good sign.
I think Weston will play but might be more sub appearances early on. From what I can tell, the plan would be a midfield trio with a regista, mezzala (half-winger) to provide some width when Ronaldo goes inside, and a box to box. Locatelli is a baller and will start as the regista or mezzala. Bernardeschi was tried out in the mezzala role a bit.
He has done that everywhere he has been. Not only will he be fine, he’ll be a leader just like he was last year.
I hope so. I'm a big fan of Wes and am confident he will have a fine career wherever things take him. I just think it will take a bit more doing this year.
Juve might very well recognize that they over played Wes last year, forcing him to play on or come on at times injured. Luckily they should have enough reliable depth that that won't be the case again this year
Juventus are considering offers for McKennie and don't consider him unsellable. #calciomercato @juventusfc, non è da escludere la cessione di #McKennie https://t.co/YeKMFNcWWH— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) August 18, 2021 I guess the better way to phrase it is that McKennie is likely one of the few players in the Juventus squad who has value in the current market, so they're willing to consider it.
Yeah I'm not sure that's surprising, though I'd be shocked if they got the kind of offer that would make it worth selling him for.
Told ya, the moment Pirlo went out, out went Weston chances to lock a starting spot. We'll be lucky if we see enough of him. The Italian establishment under-estimates American soccer. They much rather have someone equivalent to McKennie, but Italian.
feels like you told us that weston wouldnt play much last season too, always feels like you are telling us something with some huge embedded narrative thats a net negative for our players
This exact statement was made 4 months ago too. The media is just looking for something now that the endless Locatelli saga came to a close
On the bench for a 1st team friendly against the U23s: 💺 Subs: Pinsoglio, De Sciglio Chiellini, McKennie, Pellegrini, Bernardeschi, Rugani, Fagioli, Ranocchia,Soulé, Marques. #ForzaJuve— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) August 19, 2021
Pirlo surprised me. He broke the mold, and at this point it seems obvious he's not yet a member of the Inner Circle. He better gets on with the program or he'll be stuck coaching Serie B clubs. PS: Wes is more than capable of playing for Juve. This has nothing to do with it, but with an overall "fuori gli yankis!" attitude you can see when you read their press.
Starts 2nd half. 46' | 🔙 | Underway again at the JTC!📝 Second half XI: Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini, Pellegrini; Bernardeschi, Fagioli, Ranocchia, McKennie; Soulé, Marques.Juve (3-0) Under 23 #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/FMUCf7HcRU— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) August 19, 2021
You know, that is a good question, I feel like almost all of our midfielders aren't a specific thing alla DM, CAM. I would say that most of them are probably Mezzali types. For me, Locatelli is more of a CM that can play deeper controlling the midfield but provides defensive cover and can progress the ball forward. Bentancur is a Mezzala, and Arthur...I have no clue. He is press-resistant, but other than that, I with-hold judgement for now. Rabiot probably is best as a Mezzala, isn't really a progressive passer but can carry it forward with pace and power and has some pretty good defensive ability. I think him, Bentancur and Weston have similar characteristics. Ramsey, I'm not too sure, like Arthur. That is probably clear as mud...lol
Also one thing to keep in mind, that's Di Marzio. He's been having a bit of a rough summer with transfers, well, past year really. He's more of a second tier transfer guy. Romano and Agresti are considered top tier, especially when it comes to Juve. Neither of them have said anything about McKennie as of today. There was one report that came out that had Juve denying the report, but they always do that. As for where McKennie will play, it's going to be tough in the midfield this season because Allegri will most likely use 3 in the middle with 3 up top. He'll be doing more of a 4-3-3 thank anything. Locatelli will be a lock for starting, but I wouldn't expect to see that immediately. Then you have the rest. Juve has been actively trying to get rid of Ramsey, which I hope they do.
Romeo Agresti was on one of the radio shows tonight (Italy time) and said that Juve has not received any offers for McKennie and don't plan on selling him.
How many clubs are really above Juventus where both the club and player would be interested. It’s no surprise that there haven’t been offers. I think Liverpool were linked at one time but that’s all and frankly he might be too expensive given the sample size at this point.
They should sell a player who has a value but isn’t as good as him.... bentancur. this guy is not needed now.
Bentancur is to Juve what Lleget is to the USMNT...he just kinda plays as well or as poorly as everyone surrounding him does. I guess there's value in that but he does lots of things fine and nothing particularly well. Arthur is a fancy man's Gianluca Busio, but is hurt a lot, has little to no physical presence and has good not great technique and skill on the ball. He can be helpful but you need to build a team around him and he's not good enough or healthy enough to do that. I could imagine a really fun and solid midfield three of Locatelli, Rabiot and Wes. Three big guys who aren't super technical but who are fast, strong and can interchange well. With Betancur as the 4th/sub that would be a pretty decent shout for me, but who knows.
Unfortunately, there is supposedly a clause in Bentancur's sale from Boca Juniors that they will receive 50% of a future sale, so he probably isn't being sold. I think he is a good 4th/5th option. I think this is my starting midfield against teams that will try and play against us. Against teams that play with a low block and look to counter, I don't know if there is enough creativity in that midfield. The great thing about Weston, is he provides a different dimension to the other midfielders in his aerial ability. I really think that is useful.
For the rumor about Weston, Juventus just release their 3rd kit and Weston headlines the video on their website and app while also narrating throughout. https://www.juventus.com/en/ Also on twitter and instagram.