He scored his first Serie A goal for the club on 21 January 2012, scoring the second in a 2–0 victory over Atalanta on a volley from Luca Marrone. Three days later he scored the first goal in Juventus's 3–0 Coppa Italia victory against Roma. Due to injuries and suspensions to first choice centre midfielders Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal, Conte has played him in a more central role. Juventus won the Serie A title unbeaten that season and reached the final of the Coppa Italia, losing to Napoli.