Former Juventus and Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio thinks Inter are ‘more complete’ than the Old Lady and highlights the Bianconeri’s issues for 2022-23: ‘They’ll have to replace Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini.’
The Serie A giants meet Inter in the Coppa Italia Final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome tonight. It’s their last chance to win a trophy this season and avoid ending the campaign empty-handed for the first time since 2010-11.
“Juventus reached the Final and looking at the path, they had a tough start. If they win the cup, they will get a passing grade for the season. If they don’t no,” Marchisio told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“To me, Inter were the favourite, stronger and more complete. However, Juventus have closed the gap despite a few defects which they still have.”
Dusan Vlahovic hasn’t scored in the last four games across all competitions, while Dybala and Chiellini could lift their last trophy at Juventus tonight.
“I don’t want to make the mistake of trying to know which Allegri’s targets were. Ronaldo left at the beginning of the season, then Chiesa got injured and Vlahovic arrived. All these situations have led to tactical changes,” said Marchisio.
“Vlahovic is a pure talent, but his strong start made everyone think that he’d had no issues settling in. It can’t be that way. It takes time, but these six months were useful for him and Juventus and during the next season, he’ll have to show his qualities consistently.”
Where do Juventus need to improve next season?
“Juventus lack a real playmaker, but I think there is another problem in defence. Chiellini will stop, Bonucci must be handled. Same in attack, where Dybala has had highs and lows, but he has great figures at the club.
“It won’t be easy to replace him. Juventus need to understand what to do, whether to sign a young player or sign an ‘already made’ champion.
“Not reaching an agreement in the last few years affected both the club and the player. Juventus had a player that wasn’t mentally free, sometimes, that could be the reason behind injuries as well. Dybala hasn’t always been consistent but has scored 115 goals.”
Juventus confirmed in March that they would not extend Dybala’s contract. On the other hand, Chiellini hasn’t officially confirmed that he will leave Juventus at the end of the season but suggested so during yesterday’s pre-match press conference attended by Football Italia. The Italy defender has won 19 trophies in Turin and could either retire or move to the MLS in June.
