Can Di Canio revitalize Sunderland in time to avoid the drop?

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio celebrates after the Barclays Premier League match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

Paolo Di Canio’s return to the English Premier League might have been clouded over doubts of his love for Mussolini and fascism, but the Tyne-Wear derby might just be the highest point in his sparkling managerial career.

A well-known figure in the English Premier League, Di Canio arrived from Lazio for 1.5 million and played a pivotal role in helping West Ham United secure European qualification. He was awarded the FIFA Fair Play award in 2001, and his goal against Wimbledon was voted as the Premiership’s goal of the decade by a Sky Sports News poll.

At Swindon, Di Canio helped achieve promotion to League One and caused an upset by beating Wigan in an FA Cup tie. However, his erratic behaviour as manager always found the headlines as he once subbed a goalkeeper just 21 minutes into the game. That’s not all; his antics in the technical area saw him sent to the stands after kicking one of his own players.

The good side of him however is usually overshadowed. He was willing to pay around 30,000 pounds out of his own pocket to keep loaned players at the club and once worked into the night alongside 200 volunteers to clear a snow-covered pitch of County Road. He resigned as manager of Swindon town as a request for new ownership of the club was turned down by the Football League.

There are many reasons why you would think that the Sunderland board took a chance with sacking Martin O’Neill and signing someone as controversial as Di Canio. However, one can also notice that the English Premier League has lacked passion in the technical area for a long time now.

Jose Mourinho was probably the last manager to have showed this much emotion on the touchline. Andre Villas Boas looked set to continue that trend, but even he has mellowed with time. Di Canio’s knee-sliding celebration has more than confirmed that passion in the sidelines is back, which can be doubled if Mourinho chooses to return to the Premier League once again.

Paolo Di Canio holds up 3 fingers after the third Sunderland goal during the Barclays Premier League match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

To anyone who has seen Di Canio manage a team for the first time, it was something out of the ordinary. People who have followed him from the days of Swindon however, would beg to differ. Characters like Di Canio are needed in the Premier League. He is someone who would get as excited over a 5-a-side, under-12 tournament, as someone would at reaching the Champions League final.

Di Canio radiates confidence. As the Tyne-Wear derby was coming to a close, Alan Pardew hung his head in shame as Di Canio jumped for joy, making it seem like he had scored a hat-trick.

Apart from the passion he brings to the Black Cats, Di Canio is a motivator. He preaches football in every sense. During O’Neill’s last two games in charge, speculation was rife about his departure in the North-East. Against Norwich the team was uninspiring, and they barely made an effort against Manchester United. It was almost like they were waiting for someone new to come along and show them the path. They looked uninterested and laboured throughout the games as O’Neill looked on helplessly from the sideline.

This is where Di Canio can stir things around. With players like Adam Johnson, Danny Graham and Stephane Sessegnon, this club could end up somewhere in the mid-table under the Italian next season. Di Canio is strict and sticks to basic principles in his coaching methods.

Goalkeeper Simone Mignolet recently revealed how Di Canio was trying to bring the team confidence together. This is what he said about his methods: “He wants us to be all together as a unit, so if we go out on to the training pitch, he wants us to go out all together and if we eat, he wants us to eat all together and I think that’s a good thing.

“He wants us to do everything together, just the same as his tactical work he does on the pitch. He wants us to move as a group, as a unit and he wants us to win games not by individuals, but as a whole team.”

This reminds you of the classic Mourinho method, where players loved each other and the manager like they were a second family away from home. Most importantly, Di Canio knows what it means to play for the shirt. He knows how the fans feel and he connects himself with that.

Di Canio and Mourinho are rather similar. Sunderland fans chanted the iconic Di Canio chant against Newcastle. First created by the Lazio fans, it was also heard during his time at West Ham and Swindon. At Chelsea, Mourinho too had a chant to his name. And during their post-match press conferences, they both went on to tell the fans to sing the names of the players instead of theirs.

On the outside, managers like Mourinho and Di Canio look like the last people on earth who would think about being humble, but when they do, it really makes a good impression.

The Italian went on to say that he could lead Sunderland to the top of the Premier League one day, but the players need to keep their heads down and keep themselves in the division first. They have two massive six-pointers against relegation-threatened Stoke City and Aston Villa in their remaining fixtures. For Di Canio and his boys these are the must-win games. Nothing other than 3 points will do.

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio (c) celebrates with the team after their third goal against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on April 14, 2013. (Getty Images)

The other games involve matches against the top-side of the table, namely, Everton and Tottenham. These will be tough fixtures and Sunderland must look to steal at least a point or cause an upset. Then there is Southampton as well who are 4 points above Sunderland.

If they do avoid the drop, the next season brings fresh possibilities. Di Canio will obviously have a larger transfer kitty than that he had at Swindon, plus he would have time to experiment with his team. This would show the better side of Di Canio’s managerial prowess as opposed to now, where he has been asked to lead a team out a crisis.

Signing any player or any manager involves a risk, a risk of the player being injured on debut or a manager not picking up a single point in a run of 10 games. However, the risk of signing the enigmatic Paolo Di Canio might just pay off for Sunderland in the long run.

“The Premier League loses Balotelli, and gets Paolo Di Canio,” was what one banner read at St. James’ Park. And this could very well turn out to be the quote of the season if Sunderland manage to survive the drop.