Former Chelsea FC player and manager Roberto di Matteo is set to return to English football as Aston Villa’s manager. Will he repeat his role as a one-and-done turnaround artist, or will this be his opportunity to build a club for the long-term?
After a three-year hiatus, Roberto di Matteo will once again manage an English football club. Di Matteo is set to accept a two-year contract with Aston Villa, who will be playing second-tier football for the first time in 29 years.
The former Chelsea midfielder started his coaching career in League One with MK Dons in 2008. The following year he took the helm at West Bromwich Albion. His new employers at Aston Villa will be expecting di Matteo to repeat his accomplishment at West Brom.
Di Matteo was appointed at West Bromwich Albion one month after the Baggies were relegated, and under the Italian’s charge their stay in the Championship lasted only one season.
That is where both parties will want the similarities to end, as West Brom sacked di Matteo midway through his first Premier League coaching season. Aston Villa is reportedly offering di Matteo a £2 million bonus for managing the club’s return to the Premier League.
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The most obvious obstacle facing the Italian is the absolute shambles of a club that is Aston Villa. While Chelsea had the worst title defense in Premier League history, Villa were only six points shy of the lowest points total in the league’s history (Derby County (2007/08). Villa scored the same number of goals as the number of games they lost (27). Out of respect for fans and reality, the club even cancelled the end-of-season Player of the Year awards.
Villa have been playing in the Premier League on borrowed time, having not finished above 15th since 2011. The Villains have had little to cheer for in that time with the exception of making it to the finals of the 2015 FA Cup and the individual performance of Christian Benteke.
Di Matteo’s other challenge will be his susceptibility to sophomore slumps. He achieved his primary mission at West Bromwich Albion – returning the club to the Premier League – and barely lasted six months of his second season.
He started with Chelsea as an assistant manager under Andre Villas-Boas, and ascended to caretaker manager upon Chelsea sacking Villas-Boas mid-season. In that role di Matteo led Chelsea to its only Champions League title, and added a FA Cup for good measure.
The club rewarded di Matteo with a two-year contract the following summer. Three months into the season, a 3-0 loss to Juventus all but ended Chelsea’s Champions League title defense and led the club to bring the axe down on Roberto di Matteo’s tenure.
In an ironic twist, di Matteo ended up collecting the full value of his contract. The club, clearly not expecting to sack the man who brought them their greatest glory (on top of his six years as a player), did not include an early-termination clause in his contract. As a result, Chelsea continued to pay di Matteo £130,000 per week through June 2014.
Di Matteo’s most recent managerial job was in the Bundesliga with FC Schalke. He took the reins in October with the club in 11th place and in the group stages of the Champions League. The club did not secure another year of Champions League football, instead qualifying for the Europa League with a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga. Di Matteo resigned shortly thereafter, citing differences between his and upper management’s vision for the club.
The Italian’s managerial history is marked by a pattern of early success followed by mediocre results and then a premature departure. As a well-spirited, highly motivational player-turned-coach di Matteo can extract instant performance improvements from his athletes without making any significant shifts in tactics or lineup.
Unfortunately for di Matteo, his rapid success carries with it expectations that he cannot deliver upon in his second year. Prolonged success requires prolonged investment. Di Matteo has yet to find an owner who accepts disparities between short-term results and the necessary conditions for long-term success.
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With Aston Villa, di Matteo is entering a situation that has unnerving parallels to his experience at West Bromwich Albion. Perhaps his best hope for a long-term stay is Aston Villa’s low likelihood of returning to the Premier League after one season in the Championship.
The club needs a long-term commitment to spending during the transfer windows, overhauling the development pipeline, developing true cohesion among the players and building stability in the front office. A full-on rebuilding project may be the perfect antidote to Roberto di Matteo’s one-and-done track record.
Di Matteo was the top choice of Villa’s incoming owner, so he will have the support of his bosses to create the necessary changes. Few coaches could turn around Aston Villa into an immediate contender for the promotion. Even if they did, it would be a hollow accomplishment, one that would continue to neglect the foundations that the club have lacked for the last few years.
Aston Villa present Roberto di Matteo the opportunity to show what he can do as a long-term manager, rather than as a for-hire turnaround artist.
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He has little risk of raising expectations too high in his first season at Aston Villa. This may be the best thing to ensure that he has a long future to implement his vision and style of play at a club, and that he will enjoy an extended run upon returning Aston Villa to the Premier League.