Is this a broader trend for the USMNT in 2021?
Have not seen much from any players after feeling pretty good about thier Q4 20 progress and contributions. Many now starting (or finishing) on bench after getting full run before. Pulisic mia. Even McKennie who looked solit is only 2/3 starter.
I think McKennie is first choice still for Juve. They've had a ton of games in a short space of time so my understanding is Pirlo is trying to manage everyone's minutes. Weston starts in the biggest games and he's lauded a lot of his versatility, work rate, and savvy.
Pulisic is a bit of a concern, but I think Chelsea as a whole is a big mess righty now. I suspect he'll find his place soon enough. He just has to stay healthy.
In Germany Sargent is still very involved as a starter. He doesn't score much, but he never has yet. He does do a lot for them up front, though. He's a space eater and wins a lot of balls against high lines. Brooks is also a crucial piece. He's as solid as anyone in his role. Unfortunately for Hoppe he's on one of the worst teams to ever play in the Bundesliga. Not being involved much at Schalke right now isn't necessarily a personal indictment on him. They would struggle right now in 2 Bundesliga. Tyler Adams is also still getting a lot of run at Leipzig. Like Juve, they've had an extremely busy fixture list so I don't think being out of the starting 11 from one game to the next should be read as a player falling out of favor.
Gio's could be more of a sophomore slump than anything. We'll see. He's still very young and has played a lot since the restart last year, but he's struggled to regain his form after being out for corona quarantine in December (I think that's when it was). Before his hiatus I was reading how Sancho might be sold in the transfer window because of how solid Gio had been and he was beating Sancho out for minutes. Maybe his body is still growing into that level of strength and fitness and he's grown fatigued. Not everyone is built like Haaland. That kid is a tank. Maybe he's still got some residual issues after having the rona? I'm not sure. I know some people who still have slightly labored breathing several months later.
Dest is still getting a lot of run at Barca and Cannon is as solid at Boavista as Brooks is at Wolfsburg. Konrad needs to either drop a division with Barca or go somewhere on loan for minutes. He's not breaking through there any time soon. That said, Barca may become as much of a mess as Chelsea in the very near future due to finances. He may break through sooner than later if they have to sell off a ton of expensive players.
I get your point and have had some similar thoughts recently, but I really think it's more a perception based on the current form of the highest profile guys than it is a reality across the board.
