Westin’ away again in Margheritaville: McKennie at Juventus

Italy has been really good for him. He tends to play a little chaotically and his coaches have learned to balance his enterprise/freestyle with team tactics. And pressure him about his fitness.

 

I would love to see evidence that Wes had a fitness problem. Not a BMI index problem, but a season where his incredible stamina was lower than, say, the team average.

 

That's not enough. It must be above average because he won't blow anybody's mind with his skills. And, yes, he gets it above average when he is in shape. Are we arguing whether in shape Wes isn't better than out of shape Wes?

 

BMI represents a fitness problem. Carrying 5-15 lbs of extra fat must affect fitness (speed, endurance). He said he was embarrassed to take his shirt off before. Nobody runs better carrying pounds of extra fat.

 

Again, I'd like to see some objective numbers that show a substantive decline in his fitness. I have looked at a few of the numbers that are easily publicly available and have not seen any kind of noticeable dip.

My wife has, in her life, often said she thinks she looks heavy - and then gone out and hit the exact same run or swim numbers she always hits. Perception is not always reality, but I also have not done a deep dive and don't have access to most of his metrics, so it's possible I missed something.

 

I am arguing that I have not seen, in the few easily found metrics like ground covered/game, any notable dip in Wes' numbers. But, as I wrote just above, I also only have limited access, of course, and I haven't spent a ton of time looking into it. My guess is that his "chubby cheeked" body type is more perception than reality when it comes to his fitness. He is usually among the top players for ground covered/game which speaks to his fitness. But I haven't done a deep dive so perhaps there are times when his BMI has affected his output. I'm completely open to seeing those stats, I just haven't seen them in my cursory looks.

 

Go take a run holding 10 lb weights and get back to me. It is hard to believe we are discussing whether losing fat helps fitness.

 

I've noticed that most of the time he seems a bit overweight is when he's coming back from injury. After a month of playing he was back to normal. I do think he's in better shape now and maybe if injured he'd look like his old normal before getting back to his now normal. He just needs to be shredding calories by practicing and playing to keep weight off. Like swimmers who balloon after graduating from HS or college and not being on the swim team anymore.

 

He's a pro player. He should know better

 

I guess I’m confused. Sorry to be that guy, but Wes is having a good season and looks sharp and healthy. So, why are we dedicating pages to discussion about his weight again?

 

To compliment him on blowing that stereotype to hell?

 

Yep, and losing his spot to veritable children

 

wes shows it in his face. He’s got baby cheeks- makes him look fat. I wouldn’t make assumptions about the rest of him unless you see him on the scales or naked. Let us know about those.

 

When you post the video of Wes running carrying a 10 lb weight, I'll be there for you.

Again, if folks have statistical evidence to back up these claims, I'm here for it. I have looked a little bit and didn't note much difference. But I only looked a little bit.

Juventus lists Wes BMI at 25.08 - which is in the range of BMI for world-class sprinters. Now, I have no other BMI numbers for him and no date for this BMI measure.

Uefa has his top speed at 32.73 km/hr and him covering an average of 5.17 km/game across 6 matches, which I believe is for the 25/26 campaign but could be 24/25.

I'll see if they have stats for previous campaigns.

 

Let me explain: Fat can't do mechanical work but does have weight. You absolutely dont ned a clip Wes carrying weights to understand this.

 

I also can't do mechanical work and have weight. Goddammit.

 

I mean it is a valid question -- what are his numbers like for distance covered, sprints, take ons, etc this "fit" year compared to previous "unfit" ones?

One would logically assume that the numbers are better, but that's not always a given.

 

Eye test is not always best test.

and it could also be true that the fact he looked softer meant he was not able to be as effective athletically. I’d just prefer some numbers and I’ve not seen any. But I do not get the bra uploads.

 

I agree. He has lost a lot of weight and is having his best season. I'm sure there are many other variables too.

 

Not sharing your obvious personal revulsion to slightly fat athletes, I’ll need you to provide some number that quantifies him as playing significantly worse due to his weight.

 

From personal experience those 15-20 extra lbs really are noticeable once you lose them. I used to be a little heavy but still very active. After going on a long cycling tour (2 months) I dropped to my ‘fighting weight’, essentially what I weighed in early college years.

Playing soccer without the extra lbs felt noticeably different, it was a great feeling to be more nimble and fleet of foot. I’d bet McKennie has noticed that too. Hopefully that ‘positive feedback’ feeling keeps him motivated to maintain his ‘fighting weight’ consistently.

 

FFS. This is mostly about Spalletti, but it mentions Wes a few times. Just posting in the hopes it distracts you guys and you STFU about Wes' weight.

 

For what it's worth, I did a little research a while back, and no I didn't save my work. From the data I could gather, Wes is covering more ground this year than he has in prior years. But the difference isn't as material as you would think. The conclusion I drew was that he has always been one of the hardest working midfielders in Serie A as defined by KM/90. In fact, his numbers even when "fat", were consistently at the top echelon of midfielders in Europe. Maybe not world class distance numbers, but definitely top 20%.

Given his numbers are higher now, is he world class in this metric? I still don't think so, the jump just isn't big enough.

This research helped back up the stated reason Spalletti asked him to lose the weight - not necessarily to cover more ground in an individual match, but to maintain his body through the course of a long season. That's where the real dividends will come through. He's also not getting any younger.

 

You have it backwards. I was praising him for losing weight, getting in better shape and having the best season of his career. You can die on the "overweight doesn't matter" hill.

 

🇪🇺 Top 7 League Full-backs: Deep completions per 90

◉ 2.30 — Óscar Mingueza (Celta Vigo, 26)
◎ 1.77 — W. McKennie (Juventus, 27)
◎ 1.76 — A. Dønnum (Toulouse, 27)
◎ 1.75 — Diego Moreira (Strasbourg, 21)
◎ 1.71 — S. Ouaissa (NEC, 21)

📊 Free trial: https://t.co/McR5zrPkTO pic.twitter.com/8PBESx7Dz4

— DataMB (@DataMB_) January 12, 2026