Andrea Dossena had a one-year spell at Sunderland, but isn’t entirely happy about his time there.
The move to the Stadium of Light came in 2013 for the Italian. This was right after the former defender had a good spell at Napoli, helping them back into the Champions League and also winning the Coppa Italia.
The spell at Sunderland ended with Dossena playing only seven Premier League games, featuring three times in the FA Cup. At one point, he even played for the U21s side.
Toxic atmosphere detailed
Dossena spoke to Calciomercato in a detailed interview and looked back on several aspects of his playing career.
While he spoke glowingly about Liverpool, that wasn’t the case for Sunderland. He offered details into the atmosphere in the dressing room and training at that point.
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.”
Dossena also revealed how Paolo Di Canio departed and the drawbacks of Poyet’s methods. The instability at Sunderland held them back.
“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. I remember he never let us watch a match again to analyse it.”
Sunderland marked Dossena’s downfall
By the end of his time at Napoli, Dossena was reduced to being a bit-part player. He was loaned out to Palermo but things didn’t work out there either.
The spell at Sunderland defined Dossena’s fall from grace. Along with the problems at the club, the former Italy international was never seen as an important player.
That is why his stay lasted just a season and he ended up in League One side Lleyton Orient after that. Even there, he wasn’t a regular.
