Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Marchisio: Juve better without Conte

Claudio Marchisio is looking forward to a more relaxed mood inside the Juventus Stadium this season, albeit not specifically from the terraces.

The Italy international says one thing he will not miss with coach Antonio Conte no longer in charge of the club will be the constant berating from the touchline. He will now only get that a few times a year with Italy.

Nevertheless, he believes Juve can still win the Serie A title even without Conte's vocal support.

"It's up to us to show now that, after three years of Conte, we can do without all of his screams," Marchisio said in La Gazzetta dello Sport. "We've grown in these three years and [Massimiliano] Allegri has inherited a squad which has come a long way.

"It gets harder to win every year, but the coach's departure has given us even more motivation. It's wrong to talk about the end of a cycle. Let's just wait until the end of the season. Our aim is to improve where we failed before and Allegri is the right coach to relaunch us."

Marchisio's chances of being named in Allegri's first side when they go to Chievo on Saturday are looking good with Andrea Pirlo taking a knock in training this week and Arturo Vidal yet to reach peak condition.

Pirlo, 35, injured his knee during training on Monday and is rated as a doubt for Saturday's opening fixture. Allegri also has problems with his defence. Giorgio Chiellini is suspended while Leonardo Bonucci and Angelo Ogbonna looked out of form in the Trofeo TIM last weekend, leaving Luca Marrone, who Allegri has moved from midfield into defence during preseason, set to fill in.

There could be a new face in the attack also with Juve reportedly set to step up their efforts to sign Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco. According to La Gazzetta, Juve expect an answer from the Ligue 1 club within the next 48 hours, or else they will shift their attention elsewhere.

The Bianconeri are not desperate to sign a new forward, but their general manager Beppe Marotta said at the weekend that they were monitoring the market and would be ready if an opportunity arises. Alongside Falcao, Manchester United's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has been touted as a potential target.

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