Since making his breakthrough in the 2008–09 season, Marchisio has often been compared to former Juventus and Italian midfielder Marco Tardelli by the Italian press, due to his energy, tenacious style of play, and good reading of the game, as well as his ability to seamlessly switch between offence and defence. A hard-tackling, versatile, and dynamic box-to-box midfielder, with good vision and technique, he is able to play as a defensive midfielder, as a playmaker, or out wide, but his preferred and most effective position is in the centre. Though right-footed, he is also competent with his left, as evidenced by his penchant for attempting a shot or scoring goals from outside the penalty box with both feet, if given the chance.