Claudio Marchisio: The Return of Juventus' Unsung Hero

Juventus ground out an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Udinese on Saturday, the Serie A champions falling behind at home against a team that had previously struggled to compete this season.

The game—and Paulo Dybala’s superb match-winning performance—was discussed at length in this previous post, with the Old Lady’s lack of midfield cohesion and creativity once again coming into question.

Over recent weeks, the Bianconeri have sorely lacked both, but there is good news on the horizon: Claudio Marchisio is close to a comeback. After being out since April with a torn knee ligament, the Turin native was included in the squad for the Udinese clash but remained an unused substitute.

He has struggled while on the sidelines, his father, Antonio Marchisio, telling Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) that when Juve lose, "the anger for him is double: as a player and as a fan. I learned not to call him for at least two days after a loss."

With the team struggling in his absence, Marchisio’s return has long been highlighted as something that will provide a major boost to coach Massimiliano Allegri, who discussed the player’s status at a press conference before the Udinese match:

"

Marchisio had a good 45 minutes with the reserves, but we must look out for unforeseen dangers with muscle problems. The ideal scenario would be to give him a bit of time during the forthcoming matches, as all the others are available.

Marchisio is an important available player, one of the most important players for the years to come, but I will always exercise caution when a player returns from a cruciate injury. You have to be cautious and careful, his knee has healed but after six months of inactivity, other issues can occur.

"

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

The former AC Milan boss is not the first to label Marchisio as an important player, yet somehow, the 30-year-old remains underappreciated and underrated by the wider football audience.

That has been the story of his career. Joining the Bianconeri at the age of seven, way back in 1993, he has played for his childhood club for more than two decades yet has often been overshadowed.

While Juventus fans bemoan the punishment they were handed in the aftermath of the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, their relegation to Serie B prompted players such as Emerson and Patrick Vieira to leave the club.

That forced the Old Lady to bring a number of youth-team players into the side under then-coach Didier Deschamps, with Marchisio making his full league debut on October 28, 2006, against Frosinone.

He spent the following season on loan at Empoli, gaining valuable Serie A and UEFA Cup experience, but even after returning to Juventus ahead of the 2008/09 season, he was something of an afterthought. In his absence, the Bianconeri had signed Christian Poulsen, Momo Sissoko and Tiago Mendes, meaning the young midfielder was not expected to see much playing time.

However, that trio were desperately disappointing, meaning that not only did Marchisio get into coach Claudio Ranieri’s starting XI ahead of them, but he routinely outperformed them. A superb display against Milan and a match-winning goal against Fiorentina (shown below) cemented his place, but there was much more to come.

The major problem in this period of his career was he never played the same position, a parade of coaches deploying him in a variety of roles because he possessed the ability to do whatever he was asked.

Ranieri, Ciro Ferrara, Alberto Zaccheroni and Gigi Delneri used Marchisio on the wing, in a deeper or more advanced role, in two-, three- or four-man midfields, rarely seeing him shine but always watching him consistently deliver.

Then came Antonio Conte. A former midfielder who once donned the Juventus No. 8 shirt now sported by Marchisio, the new boss shifted his tactics in the early part of his reign but eventually settled on using him in a trio with Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal.

His running, tactical intelligence and late bursts into the box made that a wonderfully balanced midfield, Marchisio reaching 10 goals for the first and only time in his career as Juve won the 2011/12 Scudetto without losing a match.

Two more titles followed as Paul Pogba broke into the side, but as Conte left to be replaced by Allegri in the summer of 2014, Marchisio saw his career take a major leap forward.

Yet for that to happen, he had to learn to play an entirely new role. An injury to Pirlo meant the bearded genius would miss the start of the 2014/15 campaign, and while Conte often used Pogba in the deep-lying position, Allegri instantly opted to deploy Marchisio as Pirlo's replacement.

Adam Digby, statistics per WhoScored.com

As can be seen in the table above—compiled using WhoScored.com statistics—his passing and defensive contributions improved considerably, providing a perfect filter in front of the defence while maintaining the flow of the attack.

Marchisio clearly does not have the vision of the man he replaced—who in world football does?—but he can pick out a pass to the right player at the right time and deliver it with superb accuracy.

In addition, his presence at the heart of midfield gives Allegri’s side added verve, pace and purpose. Always energetic and direct, Marchisio never looks ponderous on the ball, and his style transmits to the players around him, who instantly look more dangerous with Il Principino controlling the tempo.

The video above highlights that perfectly, and it is precisely those qualities the Bianconeri have lacked thus far in 2016/17. On the brink of his return, the supporters who have long admired the homegrown star cannot wait to see him line up alongside Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira.

"He’s important for the team and the fans," Maurizio, a season-ticket holder at Juventus Stadium, told Bleacher Report. "Like us, Marchisio is from Turin. He was made in black and white. He’s one of us. You know when you go out with a group of friends and the one you really want to hang out with doesn’t arrive? That’s how we feel when he’s missing.”

With a UEFA Champions League match against Olympique Lyonnais and Serie A meetings with Milan, Sampdoria and Napoli to come before the end of October, the Bianconeri will hope he can return to form quickly.

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

An old friend, a local boy and a true Juventino, yet also a vital component in midfield whose importance is most glaring when he is not in the team, Marchisio is all those things and more.

Arguably, the most important thing is that he’s healthy, ready to return to the pitch and give his all for a shirt he was born to wear. As his father explained in that aforementioned interview, Marchisio has missed Juventus. However, it's not been quite as much as the Old Lady has missed her Little Prince.