Giaccherini 'just the job for Sunderland' Italian football expert Paolo Menicucci says Emanuele Giaccherini is a shrewd signing by Sunderland Following the signing of Italy international Emanuele Giaccherini from Juventus on Tuesday, premierleague.com spoke to Italian football journalist Paolo Menicucci about the "dream player" he believes could be a dark horse for Sunderland next season. Premierleague.com: Tell us about Emanuele Giaccherini. What is his background? Paolo Menicucci: Giaccherini made his name at Cesena where he was an attacking midfielder with a lot of creativity and technique. Then he moved to Juventus and changed a bit his way of playing. He became more of a little soldier in Antonio Conte's squad, working a lot harder than at Cesena. He played more of a defensive role and more on the wings, with a game based more on defending than attacking as at Cesena. "He has great speed and stamina, which is ideal for playing in the Premier League, so he could be a success" Paolo Menicucci This change helped him to become a full Italy international under Cesare Prandelli and he was one of the best players at the recent FIFA Confederations Cup for Italy, playing on the wings and not as an attacking midfielder. What is his best position? PM: On the wing. He can play on the left and the right. He works hard for the team and he combines that hard-working ethic with good feet and a good technique. Would it be fair to say he's something of a late developer? PM: Yes, it's a well-known story in Italy. He had been playing really well with lower-division teams and with a small team in Serie A like Cesena. Then a big team, Juventus, discovered that he could play for them as well. He didn't play regularly for Juve, however. He wasn't really a first-choice player, but he came off the bench a lot, played in different positions, and scored crucial goals. Many believe he scored the goal that sealed the Scudetto for Juventus last season. It was in March when he got the only goal of the game against Catania in stoppage time which took Juventus nine points clear at the top of Serie A and many felt it was the decisive goal of the season. What is his best quality as a player? PM: His humble approach. He is always ready to help out the team with his running, playing whenever and wherever he is asked to. He is not one of these football divas. He is the opposite â always ready to help, be humble and sacrifice himself for the team. Do you think he has the necessary qualities to thrive in the Premier League? PM: Yes. Since the start of his career he's always had very good technique and creativity, even if he changed a bit his way of playing, so he is good enough to play in the Premier League. He also has great speed and stamina, which is ideal for playing there as well so he could be a success. Reluctant sale I also know that although Juventus sold him they didn't want to get rid of him. They sold him just because it was good money, not because he wasn't good enough to play there. It was a good offer and a good bargain, because they signed him from Cesena for free, but had he stayed he would have certainly had a place in the squad. "Giaccherini is a dream player for any coach" Paolo Menicucci PL.com: Do you think he was a victim of his own versatility because he can play in so many positions? PM: He was mostly a victim of Juventus's three-man midfield, which is very good. With Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo in there it is very difficult to take their place. PL.com: Will he get on well with his new head coach and compatriot Paolo Di Canio? PM: Yes, I don't think heâll have any problems. Giaccherini is one of these guys who is a dream player for any coach because he always does whatever the coach asks of him. He never creates problems. PL.com: Do you think it is a surprise that he has gone to the Premier League because not many Italians come over? PM: Di Canio knows Serie A very well, so that helped his cause because he knows what Giaccherini can do. Giaccherini is a bit of a dark horse because he is not that well known as a player abroad but an expert on Italian football like Di Canio knows that this player will be a great help to his team - See more at: http://www2.premierleague.com/en-gb...ning-for-Sunderland.html#sthash.356wPeZf.dpuf
Emanuele Giaccherini: Premier League signing of the summer? Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has pulled off a marvellous piece of business by signing Emanuele Giaccherini Lewis Henshall Published an hour ago by Lewis Henshall, read by 1,467 people. After signing Emanuele Giaccherini from Juventus for a fee believed to be £6.5m, this has to be one of the best pieces of business in the transfer market so far. He is a highly-rated Italian, who constantly makes the squad for his country. He is deemed to be one of the players that Italian manager Cesare Prandelli feels is vital to the team being successful in the 2014 World Cup. Therefore Sunderland have pulled off a real coup in managing to sign a two-time Serie A winner, who at 28 years old is entering the peak years in his career. He is a player that has struggled in the last year or so to nail down a starting spot for Juventus and only managed to make 17 appearances in the league last season. Although it must be noted that Juventus manager Antonio Conte did not want to lose this player but needed to make room in his squad for new signings, so sanctioned the sale to Sunderland. However, in the recent Confederations Cup we saw what this player is capable of when given enough time on the pitch. He was very impressive and, in my opinion, the Italian's best player in the tournament. It enabled many football fans to see what sort of player he is and what skills he possesses. If I was a Sunderland fan, I’d be highly excited at the thought of this player being in my team next season. His main position is to play out wide on either flank but he is also able to play just off the striker in the pockets of space between midfield and defence. He is quite a diminutive figure in terms of his stature but what he lacks in height he definitely makes up for in skill. He is technically a brilliant player in terms of his passing and crossing ability, coupled with his speed and trickery when he is on the ball, which means he is any defender's nightmare. This trickery and speed means that he can create something out of nothing and is the type of player that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. He isn’t necessary a player that’s going to score lots of goals for the club, but what he does bring is an attacking threat and with that will come a multitude of assists for Sunderland. Next season I feel he will line up as part of a three-man attacking midfield behind lone striker Steven Fletcher. In this attacking midfield role he will be accompanied by Stephane Sessegnon, who will probably play a central role and Adam Johnson, who will play predominantly from the right-hand side. However, Giaccherini might move to a central role as there have been reports that Sunderland are looking to sell Sessegnon, although I feel to sell Sessegnon would be a silly move by the club. Presuming Sessegnon stays this would mean that Giaccherini will be expected to play out wide on the left, but don’t be surprised if he decides to cut in or these three players interchange their positions during the match. Having these attacking players in the squad should be a sign of optimism for Sunderland and I don’t expect them to be in a relegation battle like last year, with minimum expectation being a mid-table finish. Overall this signing is a sign of ambition for the club and shows that Paolo Di Canio is attempting to put his stamp on the club at the same time. He is a player well suited to the Premier League and will bring a winning mentality to the squad after spending two years at Juventus. He is a player who I feel could be battling for a place in a top-four team, never mind for a team who battled relegation last season - and he is, therefore, easily the signing of the season so far.
