There’s nothing quite like a compliment when you’re riding high. So, step forward Paolo Di Canio with praise for Bournemouth.
As you’re probably aware, Bournemouth are flying high at this moment in time. They head into this weekend seventh in the Premier League, riding a six-match winning streak across all competitions under Marco Rose.
Following a 5-1 defeat to Chelsea on October 10th, the Cherries have undergone a spectacular turnaround, winning every single match while conceding just one goal.
That’s included some impressive performances in Europe, including a 3-0 win over Italian giants AC Milan at the end of October.
History
That win over Milan is widely considered the greatest and most significant single result in Bournemouth’s history, particularly given that in 1970 John Bond rebranded Bournemouth’s identify because of Milan.
They had just won the 1969 European Cup, and he decided to ditch Bournemouth’s traditional all red look and copy Milan’s iconic red and black stripers. Over half a century later, they have beaten them in Europe.
It was also significant given that 15 years ago, Bournemouth were sitting 17th in League One. In 2008, they nearly went out of business completely. Now they’re beating Milan in Europe instead.
Di Canio impressed
Their rise does not appear to have gone unnoticed by Di Canio. He was certain they’d struggle, thanks to the depth in Bournemouth’s squad.
“Juventus and Milan are no longer what they were 15 years ago,” he told La Repubblica.
“It makes me think when people say they should have won the Europa League—just looking at their historical prestige. I was certain that Milan would struggle against Bournemouth; they have 5 or 6 players there who would be starters for Inter.
“Who is the leader in this Milan side? I don’t see it being Rabiot. Modrić leads by example, rather than through his personality. Back in my day, if you did something wrong, Baresi would fix you with a glare.
“The rest of us would smirk, as if to say: ‘He’ll handle it now’—even Capello wouldn’t need to step in. The starting eleven isn’t bad, but you can’t just win a derby and suddenly expect to win the Scudetto.
