Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has reacted well to new coach Massimiliano Allegri giving the midfielder greater responsibility on the field of play.
After coming through the ranks of the Bianconeri academy, and performing excellently under Antonio Conte’s successful tenure, Marchisio insists he has quickly settled into playing under Allegri.
“After three years of living with Conte, I quickly found great harmony with the new staff and the new coach,” Marchisio told Sky Sport Italia.
“I have great responsibility and have the trust of coach, in my case always changing to many roles. I am pleased to have his confidence.”
With the early season absence of Andrea Pirlo, Marchisio has carried the weight of the Juve midfield in the games so far.
“I started in the role of vice-Pirlo last year and this year I have continued,” Marchisio continued.
“I find myself more and more at home, game after game, even though I consider myself more a box-to-box midfielder. When we are all coaches we can decide who will play where.”
Having played over 200 games for his hometown team, Marchisio knows what is expected of him.
“When you’re lucky enough to wear the shirt of the team where you grew up, like [Francesco] Totti and [Daniele] De Rossi [at Roma], there are so many factors you have to try to stay always at a level high and the same path as the club and the fans have to be perfect.”
Juve face Atletico Madrid this week in the Champions League, and Marchisio looks forward to the clash of two teams expecting to qualify for the knockout rounds.
“We started well in the first game at home, where, in recent seasons, we wasted opportunities. Now we are playing against a great team in Madrid, beating Atletico would be nice, their defeat against Olympiacos shows that in this group there are no easy games.”
