Miralem Pjanic looks forward to the Napoli double-header, and says the controversy around Juventus is “crazy”.
The Bianconeri face Maurizio Sarri’s men twice next month, in the second leg of their Coppa Italia Semi-Final and in Serie A.
“We’ll play a strong team who play attacking and exciting football,” Pjanic told Tuttosport.
“We respect them a lot, but we’ll go there to win the game, close the League and go through in the Coppa Italia.
Miralem Pjanic looks forward to the Napoli double-header, and says the controversy around Juventus is “crazy”.
The Bianconeri face Maurizio Sarri’s men twice next month, in the second leg of their Coppa Italia Semi-Final and in Serie A.
“We’ll play a strong team who play attacking and exciting football,” Pjanic told Tuttosport.
“We respect them a lot, but we’ll go there to win the game, close the League and go through in the Coppa Italia.
“We know they have a special crowd, it’s a passionate stadium which will surely be packed-out. They’ll be two good games to play, as a player these are the best games.
“The controversy around Juve? It’s crazy how every detail, every tiny detail, is maximised when it involves Juventus. It’s hard, and it’s also sad. “They don’t recognise the results we’re getting, we’ve won a lot of games, we’re dominating the League, we’ve always played to win.
“Of course I can understand perfectly well the anger if you concede a goal on a 95th-minute penalty after you’ve fought for the whole game, but the penalty is there and then what are you talking about?
“We’ve been denied this year too, valid goals and penalties which were there – it happens! The way we take it is: move forward.
“When I arrived they told me how to think like Juventus. Here they tell us: ‘we move forward, it’s part of our job and the game. We don’t complain, we don’t stir things’.
“The club has set an example this year, in never creating controversy. We say: ‘focus on training and Sundays on the pitch’. That’s where you do your talking and give your answers.
“Refereeing errors are part of the game and you have to accept it. They’re judged too, they have assessors who evaluate them…
“Juventus are setting the example though, indeed recently we’ve been told to help the referee as much as possible, not protesting too much, not getting cards for a lack of respect for them.
“We need to lead by example.”
Pjanic controversially left Roma to join the Old Lady in the summer, and has been impressed with the winning atmosphere in Turin.
“When I was at Roma and I saw Juventus win, I always hoped they’d lose and it never happened. Now I understand why.
“The club is strong, solid, and the lads never give anything up. Ever. On the pitch or in training, not even a centimetre. And that’s why they don’t drop points!
“It’s a question of mentality, every day you set your head to prepare to the maximum for the next game. You don’t think of anything else, just the next game.
“They’re killers. I must tell you that I like this mentality, because I can take a lot of satisfaction.
“Do opponents step aside? Never in my career have I faced an opponent who stepped aside, much less so since I’ve been at Juventus. Every game is difficult.
“You can make games easier if you score right away and the opponents become demoralised, but that’s credit to us and our approach to the game.
“Yes, at first it was tough, I thought that I’d adapt more quickly to Juve. I found myself in a new system, new training, with new teammates. And a way of playing which didn’t bring out all the qualities of the team.
“The turning point? After the defeat to Genoa we talked and we said things and we found the right attitude from that point on.
“Tactically it was after the defeat [to Fiorentina] in Florence when we changed our style of play and found a way to exploit the best qualities of all the players. But it was also crucial to know each other better.
“My teammates now know where to find me and I know where to find them. I’ve learned to defend too, I didn’t do that very well before.
“[Coach Massimiliano] Allegri’s work has been important, he’s given me pleasure in defending, I’m understanding movements on the pitch better.”
The Bosnian international also took a moment to praise a former Bianconero, in the shape of Zinedine Zidane.
“My idol was Zidane,” Pjanic confirmed.
“He was my reference point. I like the Galacticos of Real Madrid, but he was an idol because he made the most difficult things look easy. He was football.
“I met him a few years ago and it was exciting.”