- Andrea Dossena makes explosive claims about Sunderland dressing room during 2013 spell
- Former defender alleges players arrived at training “still smelling of alcohol”
- Italian also reflects on chaotic managerial changes under Di Canio and Gus Poyet
Andrea Dossena has made striking allegations about standards within the dressing room during his time at Sunderland.
The former winger has revealed some damning details of how the club was being run at the time.
Andrea Dossena, now 44, joined Sunderland from Italian giants Napoli and spent just one season at the club before departing for Leyton Orient.
His recent extraordinary claims shed further light on the turmoil surrounding the club during the 2013/14 campaign.
Players “still smelling of alcohol”
Andrea Dossena retired in 2017 but has since reflected on his career in a recent interview with Calciomercato, offering a largely critical assessment of his time at the Stadium Of Light.
The Italian’s boldest claim was that some players would arrive at training “still smelling of alcohol” from the night before.
He said: “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 [Gus] Poyet.”
Managerial merry go-round
Andrea Dossena also reflected on a period of rapid managerial change at Sunderland.
He described how he returned from rehabilitation in Rome to find a completely different set-up in place.
Tasked with a battle to avoid the drop, fellow Italian Paolo Di Canio was appointed in the closing stages of the 2012/13 season.
He ultimately guided Sunderland to Premier League survival, before beginning the following campaign at the helm, the season in which Andrea Dossena joined the club.
However, Di Canio hardly lasted two months before being sacked and replaced with Gus Poyet, much to the bemusement of Dosenna.
He added: “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.”
Sunderland in a much better place now
Andrea Dossena’s extraordinary interview offers a bleak insight into how Sunderland A.F.C. were being run just over a decade ago.
It paints a picture of a disjointed club on a downward trajectory, with questions raised over standards and professionalism in parts of the dressing room.
Having enjoyed a positive return to the Premier League this campaign, Sunderland supporters will be encouraged by the clear sense of unity around the club now.
There is now a more cohesive fanbase and organisation now taking shape under manager Régis Le Bris and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.
A far cry from the instability of Dossena’s era, Sunderland now appear to have re-established structure and direction both on and off the pitch.
