By Graham Ruthven
Tim Weah’s identify carries numerous weight in Italian soccer. His father, George Weah, was an AC Milan icon and top-of-the-line to ever play in Serie A. When Tim joined Juventus in the summertime of 2023, the Italian press couldn’t assist themselves from evaluating father and son, calling it “Una Storia di Famiglia” on the entrance web page of 1 newspaper.
These comparisons don’t do Tim any favours. To at the present time, his father is the one African participant to have ever received the Ballon d’Or. George Weah continues to be spoken about as one of many biggest gamers to have worn the well-known rossoneri. This, nonetheless, shouldn’t diminish Tim’s rising function in black and white.
Towards his father’s former membership final weekend, Weah made a profound impression, scoring in a 2-0 win for Juventus over AC Milan. His directness and pace in behind the opposition defence gave Juve an additional attacking dimension and was key to the Outdated Woman recording a doubtlessly season-changing outcome.
Juve’s 2024/25 marketing campaign has been a paradox. Whereas Thiago Motta’s aspect are nonetheless unbeaten in Serie A, they’re 13 factors off the tempo being set by Napoli on the high of the desk. They’ve drawn an astonishing 13 of the 21 matches they’ve performed this season as Motta has struggled to mould Juventus in his personal picture.
The two-0 win over AC Milan was the fruits of a course of many have questioned since Motta’s arrival in Turin final summer time. Juve managed nearly all of the match. They stopped the Rossoneri from posing any kind of significant menace on the break, however have been missing dynamism within the last third till Weah’s introduction at half time.
Few consider Weah will ever be a central pillar of Motta’s staff. These roles belong to the likes of Manuel Locatelli, Teun Koopmeiners and Gleison Bremer with Khéphren Thuram and Andrea Cambiasso additionally gamers who’ve clearly earned the belief of the supervisor. Weah ranks solely thirteenth amongst his Juve teammates for minutes performed within the league this season.
Nonetheless, Weah has confirmed his worth as a do-everything attacking versatility man on a couple of event this season. He’s performed on the correct wing, like he did within the second half in opposition to AC Milan. He’s additionally performed on the left wing. The 24-year-old has even crammed in as a centre ahead when Dušan Vlahović missed a pair matches by way of harm.
When Weah arrived on the Allianz Stadium from Lille, he was broadly seen as a wing again. That was the function many envisaged he would play for Max Allegri who favours a again three. Certainly, nearly all of Weah’s 1,249 minutes in Serie A final season got here because the fifth member of the Juventus defensive position.
Now, there’s a sense that Weah has been liberated. Motta clearly sees the USA worldwide as an outright attacker and has used Weah to maintain Juve’s season transferring ahead when it simply might have veered off track. He won’t be a central pillar of Motta’s staff, however he’s definitely a load-bearing one.
In fact, Weah isn’t the one American to have earned his place at Juventus this season. Weston McKennie is one other US males’s nationwide staff member whose versatility has been examined with the 26-year-old – a midfielder by commerce – deployed at proper again within the current win over AC Milan. This got here after a run of video games at left again. He has performed over the pitch for the Outdated Woman.
McKennie, like Weah, has confronted questions over his future as a Juventus participant. The pair, nonetheless, have received over their doubters even when current hypothesis has linked Everton with a January transfer for Weah. Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig are additionally believed to have an interest within the winger who Juve might entertain gives for attributable to their fragile monetary place.
This season will likely be remembered as a transitional one for Juventus. The Turin membership have backed Motta to reshape the squad after years of stagnation underneath Allegri and have recognised that progress will likely be sluggish and painful. Cash has been spent within the switch window and additional squad reconstruction will occur over the following few home windows.
Weah may finally discover himself a sufferer of that rebuild if Juventus obtain a passable supply for him, however the American has performed an vital function within the resurgence of one in all Italy’s largest golf equipment. There may effectively be extra moments just like the one delivered by Weah in opposition to AC Milan final weekend. He won’t be his father, however Tim is making a reputation for himself in Turin.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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