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30th of December, 2012
Roberto Di Matteo takes over!
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Italian manager Roberto Di Matteo has today been announced as the manager of FC Schalke 04 after long discussions over Huub Stevens' replacement. The board of FC Schalke announced Di Matteo as manager at a press conference at the Veltins-Arena this morning in front of a large media gathering two weeks after Dutchman Stevens was sacked.
The former PSV Eindhoven manager left the club in 10th position having picked up just 25 points in 17 games - 7 positions away from their expected league place of 3rd. Despite their dismal league form, Huub Stevens still managed to safely steer Schalke through to the First Knockout Round of the UEFA Champions League where they will face Barclays Premier League holders Manchester City after finishing top of Group D.
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Di Matteo, who has been out of work since last month, takes charge with three weeks to prepare for his first competitive game due to the winter break. Nurnberg are his first opponents - although the former Chelsea manager has friendly games against Argentinians River Plate, Brazilian giants Sao Paulo and fellow Germans Wormatia Worms. The popular manager already has several important achievements to his name - after winning both the English FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in his short stint as Chelsea manager. After growing up in the countryside of Switzerland, Di Matteo played for Zurich and Lazio before a (near) £5,000,000 move to English side Chelsea. His wide array of talent saw him become one of the driving forces behind Chelsea's resurgence in the late 1990's while he was capped 34 times for Italy - scoring twice.
After a 10 year break from football, Di Matteo made his first venture into management with League One Milton Keynes Dons and led the side to a 3rd place finish before being beaten in the play-off semi-final's on penalties by Scunthorpe United. Soon after, he was approached by Midlands club West Bromwich Albion and led the side to promotion in his first season. Midway through his second season in charge, Di Matteo was sacked (a decision which was met with huge disapproval from the clubs' faithful fans) and after a short break, he was appointed as Andre Villas-Boas' assistant at Chelsea. Eight months later, he replaced the Portuguese manager on an initially short-term contract - although it was soon extended after leading the club to FA Cup and UEFA Champions League glory. Just five months after signing a long-term contract, Di Matteo was sacked and replaced by Spaniard Rafa Benitez.
Upon his arrival at the Veltins-Arena, Di Matteo was immediately questioned about his dismissal at Chelsea:
"My spell at Chelsea is in the past for me. I had a successful period there and enjoyed every minute of it - it's a football club I love. The fans, players and staff all deserve huge credit for what was achieved last year and I hope Rafa can give the fans more silverware because they are deserving supporters. But for me personally, my focus is now on the job I have to do at Schalke. It's a famous club with huge potential and I hope to be successful here - the current group of players can bring success to this club because they all have good ability."
The media's attention soon turned to the league position Schalke currently occupy:
"10th isn't an ideal position for a club the size of Schalke but the Bundesliga is a competitive league and I think we need to be aware of the dangers each team pose. Obviously the fans and board feel the club should be operating at a higher league position and I believe it's achievable otherwise I wouldn't be here. I'm fully confident I can raise the standard of football currently being shown by the players and take the club into next year's European competitions."
And finally, Di Matteo was questioned on possible transfers of the club:
"I think it's fairly well known that the club don't have huge amounts of money to be spent on players coming in. The board and myself have discussed, although not in depth, possible transfer targets for the club and it's something we'll work on together. I think it's important that we don't just buy for the sake of it - myself and the scouting team have to be 100% certain on any players we place bids for. There are one or two players in the side that other teams could be interested in and we'll work to get the best possible deal for the club in this harsh financial climate."
During his short managerial career, Di Matteo has showed great potential and has built a strong following for himself with his free-flowing football. The Italian has proven he is able to adapt as a manager with performances such as Chelsea's at the Nou Camp last season where his side famously earned a result which saw them progress into the UEFA Champions League Final. Despite the success he has already brought to his past clubs, fans and pundits alike are eager to see what the young manager can achieve at Schalke.
Roberto Di Matteo takes over!
View attachment 324580
Italian manager Roberto Di Matteo has today been announced as the manager of FC Schalke 04 after long discussions over Huub Stevens' replacement. The board of FC Schalke announced Di Matteo as manager at a press conference at the Veltins-Arena this morning in front of a large media gathering two weeks after Dutchman Stevens was sacked.
The former PSV Eindhoven manager left the club in 10th position having picked up just 25 points in 17 games - 7 positions away from their expected league place of 3rd. Despite their dismal league form, Huub Stevens still managed to safely steer Schalke through to the First Knockout Round of the UEFA Champions League where they will face Barclays Premier League holders Manchester City after finishing top of Group D.
View attachment 324586
Di Matteo, who has been out of work since last month, takes charge with three weeks to prepare for his first competitive game due to the winter break. Nurnberg are his first opponents - although the former Chelsea manager has friendly games against Argentinians River Plate, Brazilian giants Sao Paulo and fellow Germans Wormatia Worms. The popular manager already has several important achievements to his name - after winning both the English FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in his short stint as Chelsea manager. After growing up in the countryside of Switzerland, Di Matteo played for Zurich and Lazio before a (near) £5,000,000 move to English side Chelsea. His wide array of talent saw him become one of the driving forces behind Chelsea's resurgence in the late 1990's while he was capped 34 times for Italy - scoring twice.
After a 10 year break from football, Di Matteo made his first venture into management with League One Milton Keynes Dons and led the side to a 3rd place finish before being beaten in the play-off semi-final's on penalties by Scunthorpe United. Soon after, he was approached by Midlands club West Bromwich Albion and led the side to promotion in his first season. Midway through his second season in charge, Di Matteo was sacked (a decision which was met with huge disapproval from the clubs' faithful fans) and after a short break, he was appointed as Andre Villas-Boas' assistant at Chelsea. Eight months later, he replaced the Portuguese manager on an initially short-term contract - although it was soon extended after leading the club to FA Cup and UEFA Champions League glory. Just five months after signing a long-term contract, Di Matteo was sacked and replaced by Spaniard Rafa Benitez.
Upon his arrival at the Veltins-Arena, Di Matteo was immediately questioned about his dismissal at Chelsea:
"My spell at Chelsea is in the past for me. I had a successful period there and enjoyed every minute of it - it's a football club I love. The fans, players and staff all deserve huge credit for what was achieved last year and I hope Rafa can give the fans more silverware because they are deserving supporters. But for me personally, my focus is now on the job I have to do at Schalke. It's a famous club with huge potential and I hope to be successful here - the current group of players can bring success to this club because they all have good ability."
The media's attention soon turned to the league position Schalke currently occupy:
"10th isn't an ideal position for a club the size of Schalke but the Bundesliga is a competitive league and I think we need to be aware of the dangers each team pose. Obviously the fans and board feel the club should be operating at a higher league position and I believe it's achievable otherwise I wouldn't be here. I'm fully confident I can raise the standard of football currently being shown by the players and take the club into next year's European competitions."
And finally, Di Matteo was questioned on possible transfers of the club:
"I think it's fairly well known that the club don't have huge amounts of money to be spent on players coming in. The board and myself have discussed, although not in depth, possible transfer targets for the club and it's something we'll work on together. I think it's important that we don't just buy for the sake of it - myself and the scouting team have to be 100% certain on any players we place bids for. There are one or two players in the side that other teams could be interested in and we'll work to get the best possible deal for the club in this harsh financial climate."
During his short managerial career, Di Matteo has showed great potential and has built a strong following for himself with his free-flowing football. The Italian has proven he is able to adapt as a manager with performances such as Chelsea's at the Nou Camp last season where his side famously earned a result which saw them progress into the UEFA Champions League Final. Despite the success he has already brought to his past clubs, fans and pundits alike are eager to see what the young manager can achieve at Schalke.
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