Miralem Pjanić eyes 'perfect season' with Juventus
Monday, May 29, 2017
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"The guys are giving it 200%," Miralem Pjanić told UEFA.com, the Juventus midfielder sure his side can go the extra mile to defeat Real Madrid in the Cardiff final.
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"I've always believed in him," Massimiliano Allegri told UEFA.com as he spoke of Miralem Pjanić. "He's one of the best players in Europe." The 27-year-old Bosnian international is making huge strides in his first season at Juventus, having made his name with Roma. Is the playmaker's treble dream about to come true?
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On the UEFA Champions League…
The Champions League involves the best teams and players so it is a very challenging tournament. You work every day and dream of winning it. This year, we have the opportunity of playing in the final – we'll see how it goes. We are playing well and anything is possible. Our team is really strong and my dream is to win the trophy. That would be unimaginable!
On playing for Juventus…
I have grown up considerably since I came here. I have really achieved my goal. I decided that I could still develop further as a player after I spent several wonderful years in Rome.
I moved to a club that is used to winning and always trying to achieve more. They presented me with a great project that would be fascinating for any footballer. As every month goes by I feel better and better, especially as we're getting lots of satisfaction and winning trophies.
We've got two so far and we hope to get a third, which would be the next step up in terms of difficulty – but the team is confident we can do it. We believe in ourselves.
On the mood in the dressing room…
To reach these goals and achieve the results that we are getting, clearly everything has to go fantastically during the season. The squad is getting on very well together. We are achieving some big results and the season has been very good thus far. We want to make it a perfect season by winning the Champions League.
Everyone has made big sacrifices. We've worked very hard; you won't get anywhere without hard work, so a lot of toil and sacrifice has gone into this success. But it's worth it because being in with a shout of winning a treble at the end of the season is very gratifying.
On the 4-2-3-1 formation…
It all starts from the forwards. The gaffer has asked everyone to make their sacrifices. With this formation and these players, we have to do so as a unit. It's going really well because the guys are giving it 200%. Every player has exceeded their potential this year and enjoyed themselves – and it all comes from this formation.
On what it will take to beat Real Madrid…
When you get to a final, it's always a big battle against strong opposition. They're having a great season and they're the holders. They won it last year, so we're facing a great team that is used to playing these games, these competitions and these finals.
We're expecting a difficult contest all over the pitch in every position. We'll prepare ourselves as well as possible, but it will be the best team on the day that wins.
We need to be calm and stay in the game. We've got the quality and so do they, so it will be a fiercely contested match. It will be decided by small details. We'll concentrate on ourselves and we want to bring the trophy home. They have their weaknesses, just like any team. We'll try to hurt them and we're good enough to do it.