McKennie says Juventus defeat by Genoa was not down to tactics

Weston McKennie says Juventus must show greater commitment and fight after their 2-0 defeat by Genoa, insisting the result was not caused by tactical problems.

The loss was Juventus’ second in their past three Serie A matches. It came against Genoa on Wednesday in the ninth round of fixtures and left the club eighth in the table.

“We have to give more, run more, fight more and make greater sacrifices for our team-mates,” McKennie told Sky Sport after the match.

“You can talk about tactics as much as you want, but there are 11 players on the pitch and that is where the battle takes place. Genoa were better than us today, and that is how the match ended.”

The United States international was asked why Juventus had been unable to respond to Genoa’s superiority.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We try to speak in the dressing room about having more energy and giving more, but on the pitch there is no time for talking. We have to move and act. Every one of us has to do that.”

Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has been dealing with an injury crisis that has reduced his options, particularly in attack and midfield. That has led him to alter his formation in several matches in recent weeks.

However, McKennie rejected the suggestion that the team’s difficulties were primarily linked to the system.

“For me, it has nothing to do with that,” he said.

“As I said, there are 11 players on the pitch. Tactics help, but running an extra five or 10 metres can make the difference. It is not about tactics.

“What matters is having the determination to finish an attack, get back to defend and fight for your team-mate. We have to give more. Quite simply, we have to do more.”

McKennie also said Juventus could not afford to produce inconsistent performances given the club’s history.

“We are Juventus, and we cannot go through these ups and downs in our performances,” he said. “Juventus are a club with a great history and many victories, and we have to return to winning more regularly.”

The 28-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 46 appearances under Spalletti since the Italian took charge a year ago.

Juventus’ next match is against Napoli on Sunday. Napoli head into the fixture after recording a 4-1 away victory over Monza.