Roberto Di Matteo has no regrets about turning his back on the chance to play for Roy Hodgson.
The Baggies boss takes his side to Anfield for today’s game against Hodgson’s Liverpool admitting he has a lot of respect for Hodgson due to the veteran manager’s time as boss of Switzerland.
Di Matteo was born and raised in Schaffhausen, in Switzerland, but opted to play for Italy, as both his parents were Italian.
His decision to play for the Azzurri coincided with Hodgson’s spell as manager of the Swiss national side between 1992 and 1995.
But Di Matteo, while respectful of the Liverpool boss, believes he made the right choice to opt for Italy over his birth nation.
Meanwhile, across Merseyside, Spaniard Mikel Arteta has offered his services to England, assuming he is eligible.
Di Matteo believes the choice should lie with the player.
“I was given a choice but I decided to retain my Italian nationality,” said Di Matteo.
“It turned out to be a good decision but it depends how he (Arteta) feels and what he thinks of his career.
“It’s a very personal decision for someone to make.
“Look at the German or Swiss teams. The majority or, at least half of the team, are second generation of immigrations.
“I’m open-minded. We live in an era where there is a European Union.
“I feel very European because I’ve lived in Switzerland, Italy and England. The choice is there.
“I know Roy Hodgson well and it goes back a long time to when he was national coach of Switzerland.
“He is a nice man. He had two fantasic seasons with Fulham and did an amazing job.
“But if you look at what he’s done over his career he’s done a great job wherever he’s been.
“He qualified for the World Cup with Switzerland. He was revered over there – he was very successful.
“I could have played for Switzerland but I had already made my choice, which I felt was right.
“But, Roy, yes I’ve known him for years.
“I wasn’t surprosed to see him appointed at Liverpool. He was the ideal candidate for the job in my opinion.
“He came from two fantastic seasons with Fulham. He’s a balanced person, knows the Premier League, he’s experienced.
“He’s coached Inter Milan, Switzerland, some big clubs along the way and now he’s got his reward with Liverpool.
“I think he will do a good job there.
“He’s a new manager in at Liverpool and is at a restructuring phase. A new manager has his philosophies, how he wants to play. Roy will do well.”
Meanwhile, Di Matteo believes the rule about home-grown players will impact on managers at the top of the Premier League as the transfer window enters its final days.
Albion have almost concluded their deals, with maybe one more player set to arrive before Tuesday’s deadline.
And all Premier League clubs are now having to make sure their 25-man squads have eight home-grown players.
Arsene Wenger described it as an artificial supression of talent.
Di Matteo believes the new directive will test those managers who prefer to do their shopping abroad. He also feels it is a mere reaction to the nation’s progress.
“The home-grown rule is an interesting one,” added Di Matteo. “The 25-man rule isn’t too bad but what will have an impact is eight home-grown players. Clubs will have to think about how they move players around.
“We’re okay here. Young players don’t have to be named in the 25 so it’s not a massive problem in that respect.
“And poaching will always go on. But this is the first step towards bringing a limit in for foreign players without contravening any European Union rules.
“Look at Inter Milan – they won the Champions League with no Italian players.
“We’ve had this before – you could only have three foreign players at one point. We had it in Italy.
“Then they change it – it usually comes on the back of a national team not doing well in the European Championship or a World Cup.
“Spain will probably not be too concerned about this right now, for instance.”
No comments:
Post a Comment