Marchisio: Juventus always had faith in me

The Italy international rubbishes suggestions that he was on the transfer list at Juve and claims that he is not intimidated to be compared to the legendary Marco TardelliJuventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio says that he was never on the verge of leaving the Turin giants during the summer transfer window despite speculation that he would be off-loaded.Marchisio was reported to be heading towards the exit before the start of the 2011-12 campaign after inconsistent performances in the first team following his development at Juve’s youth academy.However, the 25-year-old has now dismissed all suggestions that the Old Lady lost faith in him.“The truth is that Juve always believed in me,” he enthused, according to Tuttosport. "In the past, injuries have conditioned my career. Now finally I'm better.”Marchisio has been in good form in the early stages of this season and scored both of Juventus’ goals in their 2-0 home victory over AC Milan in Serie A before the international break.He then found the target for Italy as Cesare Prandelli’s side played out a 1-1 away draw with Serbia in a Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday.Performances such as these have instigated many to compare him with Italy and Juve legend Marco Tardelli, and Marchisio is not daunted by the hype.“The comparison with Marco Tardelli does not frighten me,” he said.Marchisio has recovered from an ankle knock he picked up in Belgrade last week and is available for Italy’s clash with Northern Ireland in their last Euro 2012 qualifier in Pescara on Tuesday.Italy have already qualified for the finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer as Group C winners.