Marchisio explains why Juventus summer signing reminds him of Nedved | OneFootball

Juventus legend Claudio Marchisio highlights what Teun Koopmeiners has in common with the iconic Pavel Nedved.

The club’s management spent the entire summer chasing the Dutch midfielder before managing to overcome Atalanta’s stubborn stance in the final stretches of the summer transfer session and reach an agreement with the Europa League winners worth circa 60 million euros when adding various bonuses.

The 26-year-old had established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Serie A during his three-year spell in Bergamo, especially last season when he truly hit his stride. And while Thiago Motta already considers him indispensable for his tactical scheme, the Netherlands international hasn’t truly delivered the sort of mesmerizing displays he used to produce at the Gewiss Stadium.

Moreover, Koopmeiners has yet to open his goalscoring account in Turin. Although he came close on several occasions, his maiden strike continues to elude him.

Nevertheless, Marchisio isn’t too concerned by the form of the man who inherited his old Number 8 jersey.

The Turin native recalls how Nedved had a similar start to life at Juventus upon making the move from Lazio in the summer of 2001. Marchisio, who was at the time a teenager working his way up the club’s ranks, notes that the Czech legend was also struggling to meet the expectations in front of goal before eventually exploding.

“I think Koopmeiners himself said that his role has changed a lot, not only in terms of his position on the pitch, but also for the team itself,” said the former Italy international in his interview with Sky Sport Italia via TuttoJuve.

“From Gasperini to Thiago Motta the change is quite significant, but I looked up Koopmeiners’ stats compared to his days at Atalanta and it turns out has more touches on the ball. He has a very high percentage that leads him to get into the area and then finish.

“I think that today what he lacks is only the finishing because he is a complete player who’s very important in this Juventus midfield.

“Perhaps this reminds me a little of Pavel Nedved’s first season when he arrived at Juventus and was a player who scored a lot at Lazio but it took him a while to get going and find that finishing touch again.

“I think when Koopmeiners will break his duck he’ll be able to register the figures he used to record at Atalanta. But in terms of his overall game, he is an important player and I think he has already integrated very well with Motta’s gameplan.”