Former Juventus and Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic says he wasn’t surprised by the Bianconeri’s turnaround this season: ‘I knew Allegri would be able to turn this situation around.’ Pjanic is currently playing for Sharjah FC in the UAE and took time out to speak with Turin based TuttoSport about his career, Juve and the growth of football in the Middle-East.
How is your adventure in Sharjah going?
“Very well: I’m living here in Dubai. I’m really enthusiastic: I want to give my all and win the titles there are to win, I want to enter the Asian Champions League. The level is quite good, obviously it’s different from Europe, but I’m really enjoying it. I like the Emirates, the organisation of the club is very good, we have a good coach. I was positively surprised.
Ronaldo made a similar choice. A different league, but you are an hour and a half flight away….
“Cristiano went to Al-Nassr, a very ambitious club. I am convinced that the Middle East will definitely be the future of football: there are countries that have a lot to offer, but not all the potential has come out yet. Surely football will develop a lot here too. That’s why I say I wasn’t at all surprised by Cristiano’s choice: the level even in Arabia is not as easy as people think. I think his choice will bring great growth to football: I think of the image of the whole country, I think of Arab children.
Do you still follow Serie A?
“Of course! Of course I do! I’ve seen practically all of Juve’s matches.
Were you surprised by the Bianconeri rebirth?
“No! I knew it and I said it… Initially the boys went through a complicated period, but when you go into a crisis like that, where if you play against PSG or the last in Serie A they all seem to be at the same level, it’s because fear and uncertainties enter the team. You can’t express what you want, it’s not easy to get out of it. But I’ve always said that no one more than Allegri would be able to turn this situation around. And in fact today I hear a lot less from certain people… The situation is calmer, on the sporting side I mean, precisely because Allegri has put Juve back on track. Be careful though: just 17 games have been played, now comes the difficult part. The championship is still very open. We have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working in the same way, picking up points. Then in March it will all become decisive.”
