Claudio Marchisio is the first guest on the Corriere dello Sport’s new YouTube format “Se Fossi Tu” — a platform that invites former players to explain, from a position of genuine insider understanding, exactly what they would do differently. His Juventus chapter was covered with the directness that has always characterised everything the former midfielder says about the club he served for his entire career.
“I Would Put Kolo Muani on the Left, Woltemade Through the Middle, Conceição on the Right”
Marchisio’s vision for the attack is the most counterintuitive and the most structurally interesting element of the interview. Rather than deploying Kolo Muani as the central reference point — as Spalletti does — he would use the Frenchman’s pace and directness on the left flank, allow Woltemade’s height and technique to operate through the middle, and keep Conceição in his natural position on the right. “I would put Kolo Muani on the left flank, to exploit his speed and his stride, Woltemade through the centre with his centimetres and his technique, and Conceição on the right — who hit the post against Milan and is in a strong moment.”
It is a thoughtful configuration that effectively makes the striker partnership a feature rather than a problem — Woltemade as the central pivot, Kolo Muani as a wide-left threat who arrives in the box from angles a traditional left winger cannot offer.
“I Hope Kolo Muani Unblocks Himself — He Was Wanted So Much”
On the Frenchman’s difficult early weeks: “He was wanted so much — I hope he unblocks himself and finds continuity.” It is the measured empathy of a player who has experienced both the warmth and the weight of the Juventus shirt across fifteen years. No condemnation. Just hope.
“The 4-2-3-1 With a Double Pivot Is Not Simple Given the Players Juventus Have”
The midfield section was Marchisio’s most technically substantive passage — and his most pointed. “Spalletti will find solutions. But playing with a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 is not so simple given the players Juventus have. Koopmeiners as a central midfielder does not excite me particularly — I would move him further forward. McKennie is also not a central midfielder in that sense.” On the prospect of signing a free agent: “It is not simple — you don’t know what situation you are inheriting, what physical condition the player is in, what kind of preparation he has had.”
“Gatti Deserves More Space in the Rotations”
On the centre-back who has become one of the summer’s most surprising sources of leadership: “He deserves more space in the rotations. When he scored against Milan, if I had been him I would have immediately taken the ball and carried it to the centre circle. But I understand the emotion of the moment.” It is a tactful version of the Tacchinardi critique — not condemning the celebration, but articulating the same underlying point about winning mentality in slightly gentler language.
“Conceição Should Renew Immediately — His Dream Is to Play for Juventus”
On the winger who has been one of the opening weeks’ brightest performers: “If I were him, I would renew immediately — because his dream is to always play for Juventus.” Given the English clubs circling the Portuguese international throughout the summer, it is an appeal as much as an assessment.
“Vlahović Made a Mistake — I Would Have Managed the Situation Differently”
The sharpest and most personal passage concerned the Serbian striker who left for Besiktas as a free agent — a decision Marchisio views with evident regret. “If I had been him, I would have managed the situation differently. I would have tried to improve the relationship with Juventus — which gave him so much. I would have given up a higher salary to stay at Juventus. And on top of that, he has gone to play for a club that does not play in the Champions League.” It is the perspective of a player who sacrificed financial opportunities repeatedly to remain loyal to the club that formed him — and who finds it genuinely difficult to understand how the same choice was not made by someone for whom Juventus did equally much.
“January — Something Must Be Done in Midfield”
The interview closed with its most forward-looking and practically urgent observation. “For midfield — in January, something will need to be done.” From a man who spent twelve years playing in the engine room of the Juventus team he loves, it is the clearest possible external endorsement of what Carnevali and Massara already know: the midfield emergency is not manageable on current resources for an entire season. The solution cannot wait until next summer. It must come in winter.
