Marchisio steers Juve in Seville
While Juventus spent heavily for Champions League glory, Adam Digby notes the one Turin native proved vital against Sevilla.
As Juventus stumbled through the early weeks of 2016-17, common wisdom among regular observers of the Old Lady was that things would improve once Claudio Marchisio was back in action.
Sitting out as he recovered from surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered back in April, the 30-year-old only returned late last month, managing 73 minutes during a 4-1 win over Sampdoria.
Coach Max Allegri has been cautious with the homegrown midfielder, using him as a late substitute in the win over Napoli before fielding him for the entire clash with Olympique Lyonnais. Marchisio was again rested by the Juve boss for Saturday’s comfortable victory over Pescara, with the specific intention of ensuring he was fit and ready for the crucial Champions League date with Sevilla.
Included in the starting XI once again, he could do nothing to prevent the Bianconeri falling behind to Nico Pareja’s opening goal, but as the match descended into chaos it would be the Juve No. 8 who took control. After taking the lead, the Andalusian side seemed intent on engaging in a physical war with Juventus, their roughhouse tactics eventually leading to Franco Vazquez’s dismissal 10 minutes before half time.
Miralem Pjanic and Juan Cuadrado both got caught up in angry exchanges, but Marchisio would rise above it, turning in exactly the kind of performance those who lamented his absence have come to expect. When English referee Mark Clattenburg awarded Juve a penalty moments before half-time, the home side and the vociferous Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium erupted in anger, and still Il Principino remained calm.
He dragged his side level with a well-taken spot kick, and after the break it was his steady influence that pushed Juve on in search of a winning goal. His presence and poise allowed Allegri to sacrifice Pjanic for Moise Kean, and moments later the visitors took the lead through Leonardo Bonucci.
Sevilla crumbled, and Marchisio would ensure victory by picking out Mario Mandzukic with an excellent ball that led directly to the Croatian striker sealing a 3-1 victory. By full time the Azzurri star had connected with 62 of his 69 pass attempts (90 per cent), recovered the ball 12 times, made two tackles and one interception, showcasing his importance to the side in an accomplished display.
As with many aspects of modern life, the Italian language has numerous words that have been adopted into English analysis of football. It is not uncommon to hear words like regista or trequartista pop up during conversations about the beautiful game, but perhaps for once it is Calcio that would do well to borrow a foreign term to describe one of its most under-appreciated players.
Not as incisive in his passing as predecessor Andrea Pirlo, Marchisio occupies the central midfield role as what Brazilians would call a volante. The term describes a player who not only protects the defence, but also ensures the ball continually flows in the right direction, literally translating as ‘steering wheel.’
Tactically aware and technically superb, he may lack the other-worldly passing ability of the man who left for New York City FC, but he brings increased physicality, stamina and awareness to the position. On Tuesday night, when the Old Lady most needed him, it was Marchisio who drove her to victory. It was not the first time, and it will not be the last.
