Paolo Di Canio The Architect Of His Own Downfall At Sunderland

By Amlan Majumdar
11 years Ago

Sunderland have parted ways with Paolo Di Canio. Although the Italian is to blame for most of it, is it knee jerk reaction like his appointment was?

Most could have seen this coming, but perhaps few would have anticipated that it would happen so quickly. If Paolo Di Canioai??i??s appointment was a knee jerk reaction, his dismissal was even more so. Most would agree that he shouldnai??i??t have had the job in the first place, but will this dismal turn of events things around for Sunderland at this stage? The Italian, though, only has himself to blame for the sequence of events that lead to this.

His arrival created a massive uproar among the fans due to his fascist background. Resignation of David Millband confirmed that even everyone in the backroom wasnai??i??t in unison about his appointment. But at that moment Sunderland had bigger problems to deal with on the pitch as they were involved in a relegation scrap and the clubai??i??s Premier League status was in danger. Initially Di Canioai??i??s authoritarian approach worked well for the club and players as it helped them steer clear of relegation, but in the long run it was bound to create troubles.

Summer Upheaval & Friction With Players

Di Canio brought about massive changes in summer, both to the squad and to the backroom staff. As many as 14 new players were signed as Sunderland spent nearly A?30 million in transfers. For a club of very modest means, that is a huge amount. It must also be noted that Roberto De Fanti, Director of Football, was also massively involved in the summer upheaval. So now when question marks are being raised about the quality of the players that were signed, De Fanti should shoulder the responsibility as much as Di Canio. It is clear that Di Canio went for quantity instead of quality in the transfer market.

Incorporating over a dozen new players, most of whom didnai??i??t have any prior experience of playing in the Premier League, would have always been a massive task, and Di Canioai??i??s style of man management didnai??i??t help the cause either. There is a fine line between establishing discipline in a team and fueling a rebellious atmosphere in the dressing room. It was clear that Di Canio lost the dressing room completely. He changed the training schedules, restricted and controlled nearly everything that affected the players ai??i?? from something as silly as banning Ketchup from the canteen to holidays being cancelled. The Italian, who himself lacked discipline as a player, wanted to bring about a revolution at the club. But all he succeeded in doing was to make the players revolt against him.

Sunderland sold two of their key players this summer in Simon Mignolet and Stephane Sessegnon. Sessegnon, who supposedly lacked discipline, scored the opening goal for West Brom in the 3-0 defeat. Sessegnon did have his problems off the field, but he is one of those players who responds well to a gentle arm around the shoulder rather than a shove at the back. In fact, a lot of players in the Sunderland dressing room were looking for a bit more support from the manager. Players at this level deserve and expect a bit of mutual respect. Instead of building their confidence, Di Canio publicly criticized them for their mistakes, something which most top class managers avoid. One would hardly find managers like Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex in the past, openly picking out names and criticizing them in the media. It shatters the confidence of the dressing room, even more than a defeat. His clash with Lee Cattermole and the decision to strip him of captaincy was the start of the end for Di Canio.

Questionable Tactics

Di Canioai??i??s tactics on the pitch were questionable as well. It is good to have a positive and attacking intent, but that should only come once you have sorted out your team defensively. His attempt at the 4-2-4 formation, when his team was conceding goals regularly at the back highlights his naivety tactically. Moreover, he never succeeded in solving Sunderlandai??i??s problems in the midfield, either it lacked steel (like fielding Vaughan and Larsson against Crystal Palace), or it lacked creativity; Di Canio never got the balance right in the center of the park.

At the end of the match against West Brom, Di Canio confronted the fans, something which he should have really avoided. It once again highlighted a man who is too affected by emotions and loves theatrics, instead of getting on with his job. But that was the last act he pulled off as a Sunderland manager on the field, something which almost sums up his stint at the club.

But the sacking of Di Canio still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The board were well aware of his managerial style before he was appointed and took a big risk in doing so. The fact that he was allowed to make such massive changes to the squad shows that the club had faith in him and clearly they were willing to be patient with him ai??i?? so how did they run out of patience after just five matches? But perhaps the bigger question that awaits them is who will be able to replace him? Names of Roberto Di Matteo, Tony Pulis and even Roberto Mancini are doing rounds at the moment and this time the Sunderland board are unlikely make any knee jerk appointment.

“It’s a quick decision – some will say too quick.

“They’re making a quick decision on this again and looking back, the support Paolo Di Canio got in the summer with the players he brought in, I honestly thought he was going to get longer, no matter the start.

“If we start to peel the layers off in the coming days and find out what life was like under him from various players, you’ll probably see a story that says this was a guy who did things in a totally unique way and by the looks of things, the players weren’t buying into it.

“They’ve made a very brave decision to appoint him, they got what they wanted out of him, and now they’ve made a brave decision (for him) to go.

“It wouldn’t have been my style. I think I would probably have tried to give people as much time as possible.

“Something tells me there’s a little more to it as well.

“It was perhaps they felt that the players were finding it hard to conform to his unique style. I think that might have played a part in it as well.

“They’ve made such a brave decision now. Will it pay off for them?” ai??i?? Former Sunderland Chairman Niall Quinn

Moreover, the new manager will be stuck with the players Di Canio brought in at the club. It is unlikely that the owner will back the new manager will massive signing in January, at least not in the scale he backed Di Canio this summer. So in many ways it will be an unenviable job. Stability is something that the club requires now and the Di Canio successor needs to be treated with more patience.

Categories: English Premier League, Features
Tags: Sunderland

Sunderland have parted ways with Paolo Di Canio. Although the Italian is to blame for most of it, is it knee jerk reaction like his appointment was?

Summer Upheaval & Friction With Players

Questionable Tactics

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