Tag: Massimiliano Allegri

Juve boss Allegri: McKennie knock not a concern, Weah ‘settling in well’

Allegri says McKennie has a knock…but is fine?

Bad news: Weston McKennie picked up a knock in a recent Juventus training session.

Good news: It’s not actually going to keep him from playing.

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri gave U.S. men’s national team fans a scare on Friday, telling reporters that the U.S. midfielder has a new, unspecified injury, but also that it is not actually a concern.

“McKennie is fine,” said Allegri, speaking ahead of the Bianconeri’s Serie A match at Sassuolo, when asked about the Texan’s status. “I’ll take a look at him today.”

Given McKennie’s injury history and his promising play since returning to Juventus, any reports of an issue — particularly an update as vague as this one — will be a worry for the USMNT until we see the 25-year-old playing without issues.

Allegri: Weah ‘settling in well’

That said, it’s theoretically possible that the issue could keep McKennie on the sideline for a week or so, just for cautionary measures. Who would likely step in? Another USMNT star, as Tim Weah has been splitting time with McKennie as the right wingback in Allegri’s 3-5-2 system.

In the same press conference, Allegri discussed Weah’s start to life in Turin following an €11 million summer move from Lille.

“Weah is a good option,” said Allegri. “He’s settling in well after just a few months in Italy but I’m happy with the way he’s integrating.”

McKennie and Weah have both appeared in each of Juve’s four Serie A matches this season, truly working as a platoon covering the club’s need at right wingback. Weah started the Bianconeri’s first two matches of the season, with McKennie replacing him late in each. In the more recent pair of games, that dynamic was flipped, with Weah coming in off the bench for McKennie in both.

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Weah’s first Juventus goal assisted by suddenly rejuvenated McKennie

Juventus may feature two USMNT players this season after all

Timothy Weah is off the mark for Juventus, and his first goal for the club was assisted by a familiar figure.

Weah and his U.S. national team compatriot Weston McKennie teamed up for Juve’s second goal in a 3-1 preseason win over Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The two players combined in the 20th minute at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, with McKennie taking a pass from Federico Chiesa into the box before cutting the ball across for Weah, who was left with a simple finish in front of goal.

It was Weah’s first goal for Juventus, which he joined this summer from Lille in a move that could be worth upwards of €13 million.

McKennie’s involvement in the goal was notable not just for the connection with his USMNT teammate, but also because the Texan appears to be back in the mix for Juventus after he was reportedly frozen out just last month.

Multiple reports in July stated that the 24-year-old — who spent the second half of last season on loan at Leeds — was set to be excluded from the club’s U.S. preseason tour as Juventus looked to sell him as quickly as possible.

McKennie was, of course, very much not excluded from the club’s preseason tour of the U.S., as he started two of the three games. Juventus has now reportedly had a change of heart on the midfielder, with the club open to him staying.

After McKennie was named man of the match against Real Madrid, Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri had praise for both of his American players.

“McKennie had a good game today and I’m very happy,” the coach said. “Weah was a bit more tired, but he is a guy who has good qualities and will be very useful for the team.”

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Juventus drops Pogba for Freiburg Europa League clash

Pogba’s return to Juve continues to be a rough one

Paul Pogba’s return to Juventus has been rocky to say the least.

The latest chapter has seen Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri opting to drop the France midfielder for Thursday’s Europa League first leg against Freiburg.

Reports from Italy claim that Pogba was late for a team meeting, and Allegri has opted to leave him out of his gameday squad as Juve hosts the Europa League’s defending champions.

Given the status of Juventus’ 2022-23 season — they’ve been docked 15 points in Serie A due to transfer accounting discrepancies — the Europa League is a far more appealing path to any sort of glory this season. La Vecchia Signora is 12 points away from qualifying for the Champions League through the league, and seven points from claiming a Europa League spot.

As such, the decision to drop Pogba for possibly the most crucial game Juve has left this season will likely result in plenty of scrutiny, particularly if things go awry against Freiburg at the Allianz Stadium.

Pogba’s troubled Juve return

It’s not clear that Pogba would have been available to start if he had been included, as his return to Turin has been hit by near-constant injury problems.

Pogba signed a four-year deal with Juve in July, but has been trapped in a cruel cycle of injury setbacks dating back to the end of his time with Manchester United. Pogba missed the final weeks of the Premier League season with a calf strain, and then after joining Juventus, he suffered a meniscus injury in preseason training.

Pogba initially opted to avoid surgery that would have likely made a World Cup trip with France impossible, but ended up having to undergo the procedure anyway. It briefly appeared that things would work out, especially when the star midfielder returned to training in September. However, before he could build up enough fitness to play in any matches, a thigh muscle problem ended his World Cup hopes.

Pogba made his return to training in January, but the long layoff likely contributed to another muscular issue, and his first appearance in a match since returning to Juventus didn’t come until February 28’s 4-2 win over Torino.

Pogba followed that 22-minute substitute appearance with a 14-minute cameo in Juve’s 1-0 loss at Roma, and was likely to factor in against Freiburg in a similar role. It remains to be seen whether his absence will be felt against a team that, after conceding 11 times in two road matches in the Bundesliga last month, has shut their hosts out in three straight away fixtures.

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France gets extraordinarily mixed news, with Pogba training with Juve while Chelsea rules Kante out until February

Kante’s not going to Qatar, but Pogba has a real chance

With the World Cup looming in just a few weeks, France got some extremely mixed news on Tuesday regarding the status of two star midfielders.

On one hand, there’s the negative: Chelsea confirmed reports that N’Golo Kante will not be fit in time for the tournament, as the indefatigable midfielder underwent surgery for a hamstring issue.

“N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury,” read a club statement from Chelsea. “The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage. Following a successful operation, N’Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months.”

That timetable definitively rules Kante out of Qatar 2023, with a mid-February return for Chelsea more likely.

It’s not all bad for fans of Les Bleus, though. Paul Pogba joined Juventus’ training session for the first time since undergoing surgery on his meniscus in September.

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It’s a rapid turnaround after Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri had previously said the club didn’t expect Pogba to be ready to play until January. Pogba had initially chosen a non-surgical regimen to keep the World Cup door open, but lasted through just two training sessions before it became clear his knee wasn’t quite right.

There is an open question about exactly how soon Pogba will be able to play in a Juventus match, but simply being in training at this point already puts the 29-year-old well ahead of the game. Pogba likely has three weeks or so to prove himself fit enough for Didier Deschamps to call on him as part of France’s 26-man squad.

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What does Max Allegri need to do to get sacked?

If a humiliating loss at Maccabi Haifa doesn’t do it, what will?

Tuesday’s humiliating defeat to Maccabi Haifa looked like it could finally be the end for embattled Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Allegri’s side was steamrolled in Israel, looking hapless in a 2-0 defeat that likely spelled the end of their hopes for progressing past the Champions League group stage.

But there was Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli backing his coach after the game, even going as far as saying Allegri would be in charge for the rest of the season.

“It’s not the coach’s fault that we can’t even make a tackle,” Agnelli told Sky Sport Italia. “Allegri will stay at least until the end of the season. I feel ashamed for what is happening, I am angry, but I also know that football is played with 11 men, you lose and win with 11.

“In a situation like this, it’s not about one person. It’s a matter to be dealt with by a whole group. We feel ashamed, we apologize to our fans, because we know they must feel ashamed to walk around at the moment.”

Allegri’s first spell at Juventus brought massive success as he led the Bianconeri to five straight Serie A titles and two Champions League finals.

His second spell has been, well, just about the opposite.

Since taking over ahead of last season, Allegri has been unable to bring Juventus back to anything resembling its former glories. After a fourth-place finish last season, Juventus has sputtered to eight place in 2022-23 and is now on the verge of a Champions League exit.

The dressing room is split, fans are angry, the club is going backwards and playing inflexible, uninspiring soccer. Sounds like a recipe for a sacking, right?

But if it didn’t happen after the Maccabi Haifa loss, when would it? Allegri is under contract through 2025 and reportedly makes €9 million per season, which would make a parting of ways now rather costly for Juventus.

If Juventus doesn’t improve quickly, it will be worth considering what the cost of not sacking Allegri would be.

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