Sunderland's gruelling pre-season fitness regime means they won't be fat Cats
Di Canio adamant that even if his rebuilt team cannot outplay the Prem's elite they will run further and harder than them
Robert Cianflone
Paolo Di Canio is completing a £30million summer
“revolution” at Sunderland - with a vow that his players will be the
fittest in the land.
Skipper John O’Shea has lifted the lid on the Italian coach’s “intense” summer of changes and promised the Black Cats will be a revitalised force next season.
A
whirlwind pre-season has given a first taste of the maverick boss’s
methods - and bid to create a “new identity” for the Wearsiders founded
on hard-work, intensity, discipline and a more flowing passing game.
Di Canio admits he is driven by the fear he’ll only get one big chance at proving himself as a Premier League boss.
He
has already signed 10 new players, most recently Czech defender Ondrej
Celustka, who has arrived on a season-long loan from Trabzonspor, this
summer, and hopes there will be more to come - Spurs midfielder Tom
Huddlestone is the main target.
Surrounded by all those arrivals, Di Canio is determined that next week’s big kick-off against Fulham will prove a new dawn.
The last two months have certainly woken up Sunderland’s players.
Pre-season
has been a 9am to 6pm job for them, including a double fitness session
in the mornings, before lunch and rest at the training ground or hotel,
then a football-based session at 4pm.
It all started
with one vow from Di Canio: “You will see the fittest Sunderland team
that has ever been. That has to be the base for a footballer.”
Players have been speaking of their being in their best shape ever, but are also wondering when the intensity level will drop.
Di
Canio and his close-knit backroom staff hold the theory that if
Sunderland can’t match the top five for quality, they’ll give them a run
for their money - especially late in matches - with their physical
powers.
Diets have been strictly controlled, with players now joking about having pasta and tomato sauce for every meal.
Even the menu of a recent plane journey was changed to remove more luxurious items.
Throwing so many new nationalities together, with some players not speaking English, posed a problem.
So Di Canio decided to make all players “twin up” on the training trips to Italy, Hong Kong and Denmark.
Room
keys are now allocated by the boss, so one British or Irish player is
paired with a foreign star to help break down the language barrier, and
English is the required language on the training pitch.
Di
Canio hasn’t stood back and watched his stars sweat and toil - he has
led many of the running sessions, and got stuck into strength sessions
too... the idea is to inspire the players to go the extra mile when they
see the manager, aged 45, setting the pace.
Indeed,
the question being asked behind the scenes at Sunderland is when Di
Canio will ease off the relentless pace of his reforms.
As well as needing a good rollicking - John O’Shea calls Di Canio’s raised voice as “like a flamethrower” compared to Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary hairdryer - players will also need more gentle encouragement.
O’Shea
said: “It’s been intense. When we came back in for pre-season, the
manager said, 'It’s a revolution.' Two sessions in the morning, and then
plenty of rest and good food. Then we go again late in the afternoon.“Lads were coming and going. Signing, leaving. The new lads were quite determined to prove themselves, it’s like a fresh start for everyone.
“Di Canio is very ambitious, very hungry. I’ve seen his appetite for the training sessions and the work he puts in and the detail he works to. He’s intense but I’ve never met a manager who isn’t. He wants to make a mark on his team. He’s got that passion, you see it on the sidelines and team talks.
“He’s been hands on - he doesn’t like to be called the manager, does he? He’s the coach - involved in everything, even strength sessions! He keeps himself in good nick.”
There will also be a change of style this season.
O’Shea added: “We’re wanting to play a lot more from the back.
“There’s
lots more for the fans to enjoy this season. More fluid movement and
interchanging with the wide players and attacking talent we have. Lots
more to enjoy.
“It’s been bubbling under at this club
since I came [from Manchester United two years ago] but it could still
happen and we’ll be doing all we can to make [a finish in the] top 10 a
reality.
“The Premier League is so unforgiving. Teams
are spending incredible money just to stay in the league, so to be in
the top half you face lots of competition but we’re determined to do it -
the manager especially.”
A typical pre-season day for a Sunderland player
8am: Get up.
9am: Drive to training.
9.30am: Breakfast in canteen. Porridge, fruit - no bacon sandwiches allowed.
10.30am:
Double
training session starts. Running work, interval training, spinning
classes. All distances and speeds recorded by GPS monitors.
11.45am: Short break.
Noon: Gym for strength training, stretching, pilates.
1pm: Shower and change.
1.30pm: Lunch - pasta, rice, chicken, tomato sauce.
2.30pm: Rest and relaxation at hotel or training ground. Sleep or games, including table tennis.
4pm:
Training pitch for football session - ball work, tactics. Includes work
on fluid passing and working the ball from defence to attack.
6pm: Shower and home.
8pm: Early night after evening in front of TV (or that's what they tell Di Canio!).
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