I think you are partially right but the club is sophisticated enough to (at least in some part) to manipulate media around their players. They should also be sophisticated enough how media can be a distraction for younger players. I actually think they make a mistake and disservice by not publicly better supporting this young player in this situation with a firm tone but some strong positive statements to the effect of 'we think he is (big) part of our Juventus future, we have no intention of selling him' and something like that- which could put out the forest fire of rumors. In the end, the field play will decide. We can debate the 'unfairness' all we want (all sides) but Wes' best medicine is to bust his ass on the field and (you are right) he will best turn around a good number of the fans with that. But I do think this hole dug was unnecessarily deeper than it needed to be from Wes, USSF and Juventus but still salvageable for sure. Here's hoping.....
Time for Wes to break out the 'flying sideways scissor kick volley' for a rocket goal out of his toolbox again... ....we all miss that version of Wes.......would be lovely to see again! McKennie's incredible goal vs FC Barcelona - Soccer - OneFootball on Sports Illustrated Soccer's version of an orgasm.... Even Ronaldo was like..... 'damn son...that was pretty good, if I may say so myself'
i thought he did well today; i didnt see any mistakes; really sticked to his position; He does this 'one two 'really well with the center forward which broke down zenit ; well done.
Big win for Juve, and another step on the path of redemption for Wes. One of the few to go the full 90. Juve now totally controls the group and should def qualify for final 16. Allegri/Juve on a roll now, and we should have all expected an adjustment period at the start of the season......with Ronaldo leaving and Allegri's tactics to implement as well. But from here, really good odds that Allegri will have them continue to climb the domestic table just like last time he coached them. Good news all the way around- really happy for Wes. Gotta believe he'll start getting a little love for today's performance from the Juve Fandom/Media (and less rabid hate from the haters as well)
He did much better in the second half. A fair amount of errant passes in the first 45', and he was the most dispossessed person today. But 2nd half he turned around - too bad he couldn't find the net with those two shots. Great positioning though and certainly looked more confident.
They had Wes taking long throw-ins into the box. Regardless of effectiveness, I always thought that beneath the Juve's of the world, more appropriate for early 1990s era USMNT.
Wes needs more late runs into he box like he made today. Was tough as the middle was jammed all game and the intricate passing Juve was trying around the top of the box couldn't get through all the legs. Weston running from deep unbalanced the defense and it was a shame his one free header was off target. Juve is starting to come around and learning to return to pre-CR3.5 reality when they were a tight team. They need more in attack, but that should come with Arthur back when and if Dybala ever gets healthy.
I only caught the first half. Wes had his wheels back. Good intensity and off the ball movement. As others have noted the errant passes, one which could have led to a Zenit counter, need to get better. Seemed a bit of his mojo is coming back, though....in a good way. Based on comments here I'll have to watch the 2nd half!
It works like a poor corner kick. Doesn't seem so bad to me. Maybe if they drew up a play or two to go with it. I actually can't believe the current USMNT doesn't want to use it more. We have a size advantage against most Concacaf opponents - seems dangerous.
Good game from Wes - particularly in the second half. Hopefully he can build some momentum from this performance. Would have been great if one of those chances went in!
For some reason, Juventus has stopped releasing its lineup on Twitter an hour before kickoff. But it looks like McKennie gets the start today against Inter Milan.
Big opportunity today for Wes to continue to rise in reputation with the coach, media and fans. Would love to see him grab today's opportunity by both feet/head (not hands!) and be decisive in a winning performance. We should all be happy with the chances Allegri has given him to play in the last month. A Juve win would see them tied for 3rd in the table.
He has been given a fair shot, for sure. Seems he’s got some energy back and quickness. so hope he can make a great impact…. and score those 4 goals coach wants!
Juventus and Inter draw 1-1. Juventus equalize late after a rather fortunate PK call that required VAR review to be spotted. I think this goes into the mildly positive for McKennie. He was effective early on at driving the ball forward and helped win dangerous fouls for Juve. The initial partnership of Locatelli and McKennie seemed positive. But after Bernardeschi was injured and Juve dropped down 1-0, McKennie really struggled to get onto the ball much for the rest of the 1st half (15th to 45th minutes). Inter was pressing aggressively and effectively, and Bentancur and Locatelli struggled to connect with players further forward. McKennie was more involved in the 2nd half as Juventus was much better with the ball. Things picked up in particular with the Chiesa/Dybala double substitution, but Juventus still had a bit of trouble breaking down the Inter defense. Good passing, defensive play, and several good long throws from McKennie. His teammates didn't really find him in the box today though. And some aggressive passing by McKennie didn't quite work out - but on the other hand, these passes didn't miss by much and were close enough that they usually kept the intercepting Inter defender under pressure.
He’s like the young energy guy in an old man’s league. He had some nice interceptions and broke up plays in the midfield and then got the ball moving forward.
Yes, overall it was his defensive contribution that stood out today. He clearly is an important part of the first team.