Former Juventus midfielder Momo Sissoko believes Weston McKennie deserves an immediate contract renewal, while Thiago Motta would be ideal for the post-Allegri era. Speaking with TuttoJuve journalist Miko Di Natale, Sissoko addressed the upcoming clash with Fiorentina, the Bianconeri’s current run of poor form, the need to change things in midfield, and why Motta would be a worthy successor for the Juve bench:
What kind of challenge will we see between Juve and Fiorentina?
“It will be a very difficult match, but Juventus are ready to win this match. The three points would be crucial in a difficult moment like this. And so it would also follow the nice success in the Coppa Italia.”
But if they were to lose or draw, they could even risk losing the third spot, currently held by Bologna.
“I was saying it will be a not easy challenge, but I trust in Juventus. Especially if they were to score first.”
Fiorentina will be rejuvenated after the beautiful win against Atalanta.
“Exactly, also Fiorentina like Juventus has conquered a beautiful victory against Atalanta. Italiano’s team is always very formidable, then it is still in the race on all fronts and I am sure it will come to Turin to play a beautiful match.”
Do you think Chiesa and Vlahovic will be the protagonists of the match?
“Chiesa is slowly returning to the pre-injury level, while Vlahovic is coming from a very good match with Lazio in which he also scored. Surely they will want to do well against their former team, I hope they can be decisive for the end of the season.”
Why is Chiesa not having the impact we expected?
“Because he had a long injury and it is not easy to return to the levels he had accustomed us to. Then, at Juventus, there are many pressures, it is different from playing in Fiorentina. And perhaps the role is also affecting: he has to play as a winger, not as a second striker.”
How did you see the midfield?
“In difficulty a bit in the last outings, the absence of Adrien was felt for some matches. We need other midfielders to raise the level.”
What a season McKennie is having
“I’m crazy about him, he’s having a fantastic season. I’m reading about negotiations for the renewal: if I were in the club, I would renew his contract immediately.”
Returning to midfielders, Juventus could invest €60/70 million for two important profiles. Who would you go for?
“I read that Juventus really like Koopmeiners and Ferguson who are two very good midfielders, but if I were one of their executives, I would go for Mohamed Camara from Monaco, Kephren Thuram from Nice, Manu Kone from Monchengladbach or Habib Diarra from Strasbourg. These are all players who are already at the level of an important club like Juventus.”
If Allegri were to leave, would Thiago Motta intrigue you?
“For now Allegri is the right man for Juventus, but if he were to leave, I would endorse Thiago Motta’s choice: he knows Italian football well, he is doing well in Bologna and he was a great player. For me, he would be the right man for Juventus’ future.”
