{
  "id": 11916408,
  "title": "Pjanic claims: ‘Roma are Scudetto contenders but too early for Juventus’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/pjanic-claims-roma-are-scudetto-contenders-but-too-early-for-juventus",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-04T11:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/pjanic-claims-roma-scudetto-contenders-114500874.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Miralem Pjanic, a former player for both Roma and Juventus, has shared his thoughts on the two Italian clubs, suggesting that Roma are much closer to winning the Scudetto than Juventus. Speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, Pjanic expressed his admiration for Roma, stating, \"Roma can dream of the Scudetto. They're nice to watch, it's a pleasure to look at them, they play well, and if Dybala is well up front, with Malen they really can bring the Scudetto back to Rome. They're the team that deserves it most at the moment.\" Pjanic, however, was much more cautious about Juventus, who finished sixth last season and are currently in the Europa League. He said, \"I think it's early to talk about the Scudetto. If you look at last season you can't start with that ambition. Inter are favourites for the squad, then there are Napoli and Roma.\" Pjanic emphasized that Juventus' primary objective should be rebuilding the team quickly, as they always want to win. The assessment came at an awkward moment for Luciano Spalletti, who recently expressed feeling \"250 million of responsibility\" at Juventus. Pjanic also tipped his successor, suggesting that Emre Alajbegovic, Kerim's brother and a 13-year-old player, could be considered in a few years. When asked about his teammates, Pjanic placed Lionel Messi first, saying, \"I spent a year with him and when I saw what he did daily, it wasn't explicable. You had the feeling he could really do whatever he wanted.\" Pjanic also held Cristiano Ronaldo in high regard, praising his mental strength, stating, \"I've never seen Ronaldo's mental strength in anyone else. With Cristiano I always started 1-0, he was obsessed with scoring. Even if he missed ten goals, he had that mentality that let him go on and be sure he'd score next time.\"",
  "summary": "Miralem Pjanic has given his verdict on his two former Italian clubs, and the gap between them is considerable.Speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, with quotes via CalcioMercato, the forme...",
  "key_points": [
    "Roma are close contenders for the Scudetto, according to Pjanic.",
    "Juventus should focus on rebuilding, not aiming for Scudetto immediately.",
    "Pjanic praises Lionel Messi's exceptional talent and Cristiano Ronaldo's mental strength."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}