Former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet once got one ex-Black Cats man’s career on Wearside back on track.
Looking back on Gus Poyet’s tenure on Wearside, he managed to steady the ship after a rather short but incredibly eventful period under Paolo Di Canio.
With Sunderland sat in the relegation zone of the Premier League, Poyet had a lot to fix in the club, including helping several players who had previously been exiled. Phil Bardsley and Lee Cattermole were rarely used by Paolo Di Canio, who made his feelings very clear about the pair, and Poyet had to rejuvenate their career on Wearside.
As well as Cattermole and Bardsley, one man that Poyet had to take to the side was Emanuele Giaccherini, whom the former Sunderland boss reflected highly on in the early stages of his time at the club.
Gus Poyet reflected on Emanuele Giaccherini after the Sunderland man ‘suffered’
In the mid 2010s, Giaccherini was inconsistent on Wearside, but when he was on form, he was brilliant at Premier League level.
Unfortunately, he had undergone a tumultuous time under Di Canio, especially when he first joined, and he took time to warm up to the area.
Poyet reflected on the Italian attacker back in 2014, per The Guardian, to which he said: “Giacchi was one of the players who suffered most last season.
“It was difficult for him, coming to a new country, things not going very well. He was one of the biggest signings, a lot was expected of him. Then the new manager came in and didn’t play him.
“It was a very difficult season for him. I think that most people would have given up and gone home but he is not that character. He took missing out on the World Cup in an incredible way – in a way I would not have done.
“Then he came back to us in incredible form with lots of adrenaline. He wanted to show us who he is. The whole of pre-season we have talked about Giaccherini. I promise you the whole of it.”
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Due to the fact that Giaccherini arrived at the Stadium of Light with such a high price-tag, it was always going to be difficult for the Italian to live up to the hype.
What was more confusing was his constant brilliance he showed on International duty with Italy, and even at one point was compared to Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta on Spanish publication AS back in 2016, which would have been mildly infuriating for Black Cats fans.
It is understandable to reflect on his time on Wearside, thinking what could have been, but he did still show glimpses of brilliance at Sunderland, unfortunatel,y just not on a consistent basis.