‘Still Smelling Of Alcohol’ – Former Sunderland Star Makes Black Cats Admission
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Former Sunderland star Andrea Dossena has opened up about his time with the Black Cats, as he recalled that ‘some players would arrive at training still smelling of alcohol’.
Dossena became a familiar face and name in English football after signing for Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in 2008, joining as a direct replacement for John Arne Riise.
He was sold to Napoli in 2010 after a largely unsuccessful spell with the Reds, before returning to England with Sunderland in 2013.
Dossena has revealed how he was left surprised by then boss Paolo Di Canio’s dismissal, admitting that he did not enjoy a good relationship with his replacement, Gus Poyet.
The former Italian international also had an astounding anecdote to share, with his memory of players arriving at training still smelling of alcohol, telling of the standards and what was deemed acceptable merely a decade ago.
Dossena said in an interview with Italian outlet Calciomercato.com: “My goodness, some players would arrive at training still smelling of alcohol from the night before.
“I didn’t have a great relationship with coach Poyet.
“When I arrived, Di Canio was there. They sent me to Rome to get treatment for an injury, and when I got back to England, I couldn’t find him.
“He’d argued during a meeting, and Poyet had arrived in his place.”
Dossena also revealed an interesting quirk of Poyet, stating that he was never one for watching back games for purposes of analysis.
“I remember he never let us watch a match again to analyse it.”
Dossena, who had a chance to join Tottenham Hotspur a window before signing for Liverpool, drew a close to his playing career in 2017 back in Italy.
He has since become another one of Benitez’s signings to try his hand at management, with Dossena currently managing Serie C side Novara.
Sunderland are now about to draw a close to a successful season back in the Premier League under Regis Le Bris, who has been hailed for his work at the Black Cats.
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