Paolo Di Canio: I would bet everything on Sunderland staying up
Tuesday 2 April 2013 16:51, UK
Image:Paolo Di Canio: 'I have fire in my belly'
Paolo Di Canio deflected questions about his politics and insisted he would bet "everything he has" on his ability to keep Sunderland in the Premier League.
The right man
Di Canio's appointment has divided opinion among the Sunderland supporters but the Italian is confident he will win them over.
He said: "At Swindon, there were many people that couldn't believe Di Canio was the right man for the club.
"After two months, at the end of the game 9,000 people were there, clapping the players and singing my name.
"I don't expect the Sunderland fans to sing my name because it's more important they sing the names of the players."
Di Canio has made it clear that he expects a lot from his players and has suggested that he will look to gradually evolve the side to try and give Sunderland more of a cutting edge.
He said: "I'm a coach, I'm a teacher on the pitch, I'm not a typical manager. That's why I have the title of head coach.
"I'm not here to make a revolution. But there'll be no extra days off. There's work to do!
"There will be changes but I don't want to shock the players - that will come later!
"We need to score goals. I won't change the team around straight away but I must say, I like my teams in a 4-4-2 formation."
