Marchisio calls out David ‘attitude’ and names two players Juventus should have signed

Former Juventus stalwart Claudio Marchisio has criticised the attitude of current Bianconeri forward Jonathan David, calling him out for the effort that he shows on the pitch, and has named two players he thinks the Old Lady should have signed to help build an Italian core.

The 39-year-old gave his assessments of the current state of affairs in Turin on a podcast with La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

It has been a season of ups and downs for the Bianconeri in 2025-26. They became the first team in Serie A to sack their head coach this season, dismissing Igor Tudor at the end of October and replacing him with former Italy CT Luciano Spalletti.

Spalletti has only lost once since taking charge, a 2-1 defeat against Napoli over the weekend, but has also recorded slightly underwhelming draws against the likes of Torino, Fiorentina and Sporting CP, which has left the team in seventh place in the Serie A table after 14 matches.

TURIN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: Kenan Yõldõz of Juventus FC celebrates a goal with team mates during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Cagliari Calcio at Allianz Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Marchisio believes that Juventus’s issues are not all recent, though, and suggests that the club has not clicked for several years.

“It’s been two or three years now that the team hasn’t been right. How many times in its history has Juve sacked the coach within the first few months of the season? And how many times has the managerial side been changed after the first year?,” Marchisio said on La Gazzetta dello Sport’sTripletta podcast.

“In my opinion, you can’t spend this much money every year and change so many players. You have to realise what your level is and try not to change it too much, don’t reshuffle everything. The project needs solidity and that hasn’t happened for some years.”

Marchisio: ‘Some players don’t understand what it means to wear the Juventus shirt’

Marchisio was asked if there is a leadership problem at Juventus, to which he replied: “No. You need to see more from everyone. To me, it seems like there are players there who have not understood what it means to wear the Juve shirt.

“Jonathan David comes on and jobs about. You’re at Juventus in a difficult situation, you need to show a different attitude. This is what the fans are seeing at the moment: A lot of them aren’t giving all they can.”

TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 24: Jonathan David during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Parma Calcio 1913 at on August 24, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Marchisio was asked if there are any players that he thinks Juventus should have signed to fix their current troubles.

“I’ll say one,” he replied. “Donnarumma. They shouldn’t have let him get away, like Frattesi, for an Italian core. Now, who in the dressing room tells them what Juve is about?”

Does Marchisio believe that Spalletti is the right man to lead Juventus forwards?

“For me, yes, given his experience. He needs a lot of confidence. I think he was probably the only one who was willing to take that job on with so many difficulties.”

And when asked whether Roberto Mancini might have been a better choice, Marchisio said: “For me, it was right to pick Spalletti.”

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 02: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie C match between Ternana Calcio and Juventus Next Gen at Allianz Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

There is little chance of Marchisio himself becoming the head coach of Juventus one day, though, as he is exploring a different career route after hanging up his boots.

“I wouldn’t take any (managerial) job,” he said. “When I stopped playing I began to open my eyes to the things that interested me. So, I’ve started on this journey with Alessandro Tocci, who has become an agent. Our agency is called Circum and follows about 20 prospects. We try to work differently, with fewer profiles, so we can be present for everyone.”