Miralem Pjanic believes he’s improved his game since joining Juventus and confirms that he will miss the match against Atalanta this weekend.
In an interview with the clubs official website, the Bosnian midfielder spoke of the midweek Champions League victory and how much he’s improved thanks to his teammates.
“I’ll miss the Atalanta match, but I hope I’ll be returning to action as quickly as possible.” Pjanic told Juventus.com
WEDNESDAY WAS A BIG WIN
“Last night’s was a high-stakes match that we simply had to win. The fact that Olympiacos were defending in numbers with fast three players always ready to hit us on the counter-attack made things even more tricky.
“We stayed patient in possession, made them do all the chasing after the ball to tire them out and we eventually broke the deadlock in the second half. In the end, we’re happy with how everything panned out.”
GONZALO BACK AMONG THE GOALS
“We’re really pleased for him. He’s one of the best strikers in Italy, if not the best. It’s completely natural for any player who’s on the bench to want to be playing out on the pitch. Gonzalo is back amongst the goals and hopefully he can enter a purple patch now.”
BENTANCUR HAS A BIG FUTURE
“Rodrigo keeps things simple on the pitch and never complicates matters. He’s hugely talented and plays the game as it ought to be played. He’s also very young with a big future ahead of him. We’re happy that he’s with us and now he just needs to keep calm and progressing in the same direction.”
LICENSE TO EXPRESS MYSELF
“I’m feeling good here at Juventus. I’m raising my game and developing as a player. I like to play ‘clean’ and precise passes to my team-mates and stretch the field with long balls forwards or sideways. I’ve the license to express myself and play to the best of my abilities.
“My team-mates have helped me in all of this. To play alongside champions and pit my wits in big cup finals is also crucial experience. That’s something that fills me with immense motivation and a desire to always give my best.”
This interview originally appeared here on Juventus.com
My fellow Balkan Pjanic has been a pleasant surprise for me at Juventus. I have followed his career ever since 2007-08 when he broke into the Metz first team at 17, he was one of the few positives in a team that got relegated. He then moved to Lyon where he shone despite competing directly with Ederson and Gourcuff.
Serie A was different, though he had undoubted technique he stood out in recent years as Roma’s weakest midfield player. Not as gritty and passionate as de Rossi, not as complete as Nainggolan, not a physical presence like Strootman, not as versatile as Florenzi. I really had doubts about his ability to raise his game, an impression that was confirmed in his first 6 months in Turin.
The matches against Barcelona have shown another more positive, resilient side of him. He will never be Vidal but Pjanic has added a good deal of grit to his game. He works hard when the team doesn’t have the ball. And in games where Juve are struggling to hold on to the ball, his ability to keep it is impressive – especially when contrasted with the likes of Matuidi, Sturaro…
His injury comes at the very worst time. Bosnia will miss him too as they head into 2 crucial qualifiers.