McKennie earned his flowers by Pochettino in his recent press conference.
“It’s true that Juventus is Weston McKennie plus 10 players,” Pochettino said. “We’re happy for that because that means that he’s an important player for Juventus. Another thing that I celebrate is that he can play in every single place... He’s playing and he’s playing in different positions. It’s good for him, and it’s good for us.”
He might not be wrong.
There's a certain mythology around this whole idea of simply being picked for a team week in, week out. Sure, there's something to be said for a coach preferring to have you in the side. But there can also be an element of making up the numbers. It felt like, at times, McKennie was in there because Juve couldn't get anyone else. It is, perhaps, why theBianconeriwere so willing to let his contract run down.
But of course, quality tends to shine through when given a chance, and that's exactly what has happened for the American this season. Luciano Spalletti has realized that he has a pretty decent footballer on his hands here. His solution has been to get McKennie in the right positions as often as he possibly can. For the most part, that's as a No. 10, where the American has thrived. Four goals and four assists aren't a life-changing return, but he has been at the heart of everything Juve do in recent months.
There is a question to be asked, though, about the extent to which that is actually working. For all of the good vibes here, Juve are a point out of the top four, and behind a surging Como side. They need to start winning games to secure Champions League qualification. The pretty stuff has to start yielding results, starting with Sassuolo on Saturday.