It's also a very subjective eye-test but I think we tend to forgive guys trying low-percentage/high-return balls close to goal that look like they'd result in great scoring opportunities (or are at least showy and sexy) rather than someone hitting a more conventional looking through ball or trapping a more conventional looking pass. Sometimes it's form over substance, but I think it's a bit true in McKennie's situation that he is sloppier with some more "regular" "easy" balls than some of the more skilled players around him.
Hey now I’m a Mckennie fan, I was only remarking that the reviews did not seem extremely negative, as someone otherwise suggested.
Not every “starter” on a top 20 team is world class. There’s still variation in quality. And Juventus now is far below world class.
Interesting reading this thread the past few days. I think Wes is both a tweener and also one of those guys who is pretty good at everything without being excellent at any one thing, engine aside. It what makes him win his place again and again, no matter who is coaching him, but also I think, to some degree baffles fans and even managers about what he should do and where to do. Anyway, glad he is learning from Allegri.
Wes has a lot of traits you don't often find in the same player. He's a bit of an odd ball. He gives you a lot in the attack, but usually guys you rely on in attack are better on the ball than Wes, so playing him too forward can be an odd fit. He's a defensive presence but you don't want to sacrifice his offense to just have him play defensively and his occasional sloppiness can cause trouble in the back if he turns it over. So, he's not just a simple plug and play type that fits similar patterns to most other players. He's going to do things that catch you by surprise both good and bad. Play him in a more defensive role and you get a lot of bonus offense. Play him up front and he'll still fight to win balls in midfield and defend. I think the big reason multiple coaches at high levels keep playing him is that with his phenomenal work rate he brings so much on both sides of the ball. Keeping him out there generally makes the team better in a variety of ways. He isn't going to necessarily be the biggest contributor on offense or the most disciplined on defense. But, he is going to contribute significantly both ways while working his ass off. He's a real two-way player in an era of increased specialization. As he gains experience he will only get batter at picking his moments and he will improve his concentration and the sloppiness will fade. He's a really good player now but he has the potential to be even better and part of that potential is in his uniqueness and all around ability.
In other words, he needs to play more "Italian". He's in the right place to learn that, but he's really going to (continue to) stick out with the fan base until he does. It's very noticeable in Serie A (at the upper tier) when a player isn't up to par in these categories. If Wes works at it, he will improve. If he combines that with his existing ability to play a hell of a lot faster than the "Italian" way, sky's the limit.
People don't know what he actually does or what role he plays or if he is any good but everybody is quite certain of what the answer will be to those questions at some future date and will gladly expound on their pet hypothesis.
Yes. Wes right now is built for a swarming, high-press attacking team with a finisher or two up front. He covers tons of ground, can win balls, can distribute well enough. The slower the game, the less effective he is in attack (tho still plenty effective) but he's a great asset to a run-and-gun team.
The 1 touch sequence at the 22' mark last game between Wes and Chiesa is top level for sure. Lovely to watch how they sucked the defenders in and created the space behind and on goal. Wes def has his mojo back. When he plays aggressive, he will make an occasional mistake but he has ability to play at pace on his passing- mentally he's good enough. Also, you saw him incorporating more stop-n-go, change of pace play...he's definitely improving in Italy even if we don't see it some games. Back in the 80s, I was part of a reserve MISL team and the coach Horst Bertl (German BL player) stopped the practice and reamed the squad for not doing 1-2s correctly. He was really pissed. He was stressing that it was all about the change of pace and not to do it all at one speed, same speed. That always stuck in my mind as I watch elite players do their thing. For me, similar to MLB elite pitchers who change speeds effectively to keep batter off-kilter and always guessing. I'm seeing Wes incorporate this into his game and its awesome. Because he has really good short acceleration to leave players in dust when he changes pace and getting them sleeping.
Hm I think the post you quoted actually said that he's decent at nearly everything but great at nothing. Which isn't a pet hypothesis and a lot of folks on here have detailed what they believe he brings to the table.
Yes, when things slow down...instead of keeping his mind at that torc speed...Wes seems to slow down mentally as well. This is one of his challenges to overcome (and what the Italians are traditionally great at)....just waiting mentally for that 1-2 key, dangerous opportunities to be faster mentally and physically then your opponents when everyone is lulling around
You are projecting something here. The poster I was replying to was not hypothesizing a future McKennie but rather talking about what he is today. I.o.w. We all agree.
Right now he's a chaos agent supreme both offensively and defensively. I don't think that's what he's actually trying to be but to me it seems his mind is 10 x over everyone else and his body just can't pull off what he's thinking all the time. So will he learn to control his body and when and where to slow down a bit? Probably. The amount of those will determine how good he becomes. For those who think he can be replaced in the US midfield I would ask where are all the steals, interceptions and bite going to come from to replace what he does?
Yep. And a lot of his chaos skills have been honed since he so often finds himself in that position. Not ideal, but as you say, if he continue to improve, he'll be even more of an asset.
I particularly like how he matched the dye job with his skin tone and it gives him what looks like a weird bald spot in the second photo.
Yeah he was born to play for a Ragnick/Marsch kinda team, and it's not surprising he did well for what Pirlo was trying to to last year with Juve (though it seemed only half the team bought into it). I don't care what the fans think. If he gets 1500-2000 minutes this year and continues his Italian tactical education, he'll be all the better off, for Juve or someone else.
Precisely. People here have gotten way too hung up on what random douchebags on Twitter, chronically-unhappy fans on team message boards, trashy rumor-mongering fake-journalists, and drunk website interns assigning game-ratings have to say about Wes. Through it all, Allegri keeps putting him on the field. As did Pirlo before him. This season is so far looking very similar to last season for Wes. Starting in about half of the games. Subbing in most of the others. Occasionally scoring. If he leaves the club in the winter, next summer or sometime later, it will be because the sale will turn a nice profit for the club, not because they want him gone. Personally I prefer he stays at Juve. I'm not a fan of the team (that would be heresy in my household) but I like what playing at a high level in Italy can bring to him as a player. Also, the mentality of playing for a team that is fully expected to win, even against the toughest opponents, rather than for a team that is happy when it beats a top opponent is a good thing for one of the more important players on the national team to have.