Chiellini: Pogba, Pirlo and Vidal departures prepared Juventus for Bonucci exit

Having previously recovered from the departure of Paul Pogba, Giorgio Chiellini says Juventus will bounce back from losing Leonardo Bonucci.

Published : Aug 07, 2017 21:36 IST

Giorgio Chiellini believes Juventus will successfully adapt to the loss of Leonardo Bonucci, comparing the defender's sale to the departures of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo.

Pogba's move to Manchester United a year ago did not stop Juventus from winning the Serie A title for the sixth season in a row, while Pirlo and Vidal are among the club's other high-profile departures in recent years.

Chiellini had formed a formidable partnership with Bonucci at Juve but the Italy centre-back insists Massimiliano Allegri's side will recover from his compatriot's shock sale to AC Milan.

"Bonucci? Pirlo and Vidal also left, as did Pogba," said Chiellini. "It takes a while to adapt and you also have to wait for the new signings [to settle in].

"Maybe we’ve lost something from our game, but we have the best attack. Maybe [Miralem] Pjanic will drop back a bit."

Juventus rounded off its pre-season campaign with a 2-0 loss to Premier League side Tottenham in London on Saturday and Chiellini believes the defeat will be the wake-up call Juve needed ahead of their new season, which starts with the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio on Sunday.

"Spurs? We went into [the game] from three demanding weeks in the United States and two days of days of intense training," Chiellini said. "I was expecting us to struggle, but it was better to face a team that played with intensity. 

"We needed a slap in the face, to wake up from the slumber. The objective is to be ready for the Supercoppa. We're better now than we were last season."

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