Claudio Marchisio News a Huge Boost for Juventus Ahead of AS Monaco Clash

When the news first broke on Friday, Juventus were left reeling as it was announced Claudio Marchisio had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Away on international duty, the FIGC issued a statement on their official website (in Italian), noting that the midfielder would return to Turin where his club would decide upon the best course of action.

Even as the 29-year-old left the Azzurri camp just outside Florence, speculation began that he would miss between six and eight months of action, per Ben Gladwell of ESPN. With Paul Pogba already out with a thigh strain and Andrea Pirlo yet to return from his own calf issues, it left the Bianconeri struggling for options ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with AS Monaco.

Team-mates past and present took to Twitter to send Marchisio their best wishes, with everyone from Alessandro Del Piero to Carlos Tevez offering their support. Even long-term rivals like former Inter captain Javier Zanetti paid tribute to his quality, showing just how well respected the Turin native has become over the course of his career.

Then, later that evening, a statement from Juventus would change everything. The update—on the club’s official website—said that Marchisio had undergone a second MRI scan which excluded "the possibility of a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament.”

Going on to say that the player would “be monitored on a day-to-day basis,” the sense of relief was palpable, testament to the stellar campaign Marchisio has enjoyed thus far. Scoring two goals and registering six assists, statistics courtesy of Opta show that no Juventus player can better his tally of 38 appearances in 2014-15.

While around him has been an ever-changing array of midfielders, Marchisio has been consistently excellent, averaging 2.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game, according to WhoScored.com. The same source shows that only Andrea Pirlo (76.2) and Giorgio Chiellini (66.1) have made more passes per game than his 64.1.

Completing 85.5 percent of those attempts, Marchisio has deputised perfectly for Pirlo when asked to by Massimiliano Allegri, also filling a variety of other roles as he so often has throughout his career. Unlike his veteran team-mate, however, he often uses his pace to escape danger and has the skill to beat defenders, with Squawka showing he has also completed 75 percent of his attempted take-ons this term.

That up-tempo approach was essential in the recent Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund, with Marchisio particularly excellent in the away leg. Playing just in front of the defence, he was arguably the calmest man at the vociferous Westfalenstadion, offering a constant outlet for his team-mates and working tirelessly without the ball.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Figures from WhoScored show that no Juventus player surpassed his total of 82 touches, while he registered no fewer than six tackles and a staggering game-high 10 interceptions over the 90 minutes according to the same source. As the Bianconeri powered their way to a comprehensive 3-0 victory, Marchisio’s diligent performance helped his side completely neutralise the threat posed by the likes of Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The idea of taking on AS Monaco without the homegrown star was almost unthinkable, his tactical awareness likely to prove essential in preventing Leonardo Jardim’s side turning in another counter-attacking master class similar to their own impressive win against Arsenal in the last round.

Quite how the Azzurri medical staff could have gotten their diagnosis so wrong remains a mystery, with the explanation offered by Professor Enrico Castellacci revealing very little. He told Corriere dello Sport that “Marchisio had a serious sprain and told me he heard a nasty noise inside his knee,” (h/t Football Italia) but said nothing about how his tests had been so inaccurate.

In any case, Italian football’s grand Old Lady can seemingly breathe a sigh of relief, as Claudio Marchisio will take his place in the starting XI against AS Monaco, hoping to help her qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 2003.