Juventus star Weston McKennie opened up on the opener he scored in the Champions League victory over Pafos.
The Bianconeri held stagnant possession during the first half, but their performance improved following Luciano Spalletti’s tactical change at the interval.
The 66-year-old moved Teun Koopmeiners further up the field, thus switching from 3-4-2-1 to 4-2-3-1. This more attacking approach eventually paid off, with McKennie scoring the opener, and they followed it up with a second goal courtesy of Jonathan David.
Weston McKennie heaps praise on Andrea Cambiaso
After the contest, McKennie admitted that Juventus benefited from the tactical change, as it allowed them to find more space in the final third.
“I think the coach changed things a bit tactically, and that was good for us,” said the USMNT star in his post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia via TuttoJuve.
“This allowed us to attack better and create more chances. Scoring against a team like that opens up the pitch. Afterwards, we tried harder, they left us more space, and then came the second goal, which was incredibly important.”
The interviewer asked McKennie to tell how his goal came about, and the latter focused on Andrea Cambiaso, who picked him from the crowd with a sublime through ball.
“Andrea is a great player. He was able to see this gap and feed me the ball nicely to my left foot, so I could turn and shoot. Yes, it was a great move.”
McKennie displays his versatility once more
The Texan and the Italian international started the evening as the two wingbacks, before switching to the full-back roles following the tactical change, but they kept pushing forward, and their attacking contribution eventually proved vital.
McKennie is originally a central midfielder, but he has been displaying incredible versatility over the years, as he’s been fielded in almost every position on the pitch.
The 27-year-old is currently running on an expiring contract, but Spalletti will be eager to keep him beyond the summer.
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