Miralem Pjanic discussed the work of Andrea Agnelli at Juventus, the pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri and the club’s hopes in the Scudetto race.
The Bianconeri environment has been thrust into chaos following the resignation of Agnelli and the club’s entire board of directors on Monday. Juventus have been accused of secretly paying players salaries and falsifying their capital gains to balance their books, leaving the club in the crosshairs of the Turin Public Prosecutors Office.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pjanic first discussed former president Agnelli and his work at Juventus.
“We’ve maintained a very good relationship over the years, I really respect Andrea. That’s also why I was shocked by his resignation. I know the president well and his bond with the club, with Juve, with the team.
“I will always remember the first meeting with Andrea with pleasure. We were still in the old headquarters in Corso Galileo Ferraris. He told me that we should win everything. It’s no coincidence that he’s the most successful president of Juventus.
“Season after season, as I got to know him better, he also impressed me as a person, a hard worker, always close to the team, available to everyone. I am convinced he will remain close to Juventus.”
He commented on if any former Juventus players will look to work with the club following the recent resignations.
“There are many former Bianconeri players that I would see at the club. Starting with Chiellini. I played with him, Giorgio is a champion and knows the different areas of football.
“In the future I would also like to come back, as a coach or manager. But I honestly haven’t thought about it yet, I’m focused on the pitch, I’d like to play another three years.”
He gave his thoughts on Allegri and the new pressures on the Juventus coach.
“When such unexpected things happen, everyone is surprised. We’ll see how the team will react. The people who have stayed at Juve will know how to find the right words to explain the situation to the players.
“And then there is Allegri, it will be up to him to guide the squad to finish the season in a great way. It won’t be easy, though…Allegri is a great coach, esteemed by all the top clubs.
“There’s no such thing as the right person for these situations. There are those who get results and Max is one of them. He’ll do it again this time, as always.”
Finally, Pjanic discussed the Serie A title race this season and Juventus’ hopes.
“Juve are close to the leaders and in January another season begins, with more pressure for everyone. We’ll see who will be able to handle it better… I was already optimistic about Juventus in the early days, when the situation was more delicate.
“I know Allegri well and his ability to manage the squad, I had no doubt that he would turn the situation around in a positive way. Now there is more confidence and the team has its balance. The Scudetto fight is still open.”
Allegri will now have to work on maintaining focus on the pitch as chaos seemingly rages inside the Juventus environment.