Can Emanuele Giaccherini Turn His Sunderland Career Around?

When Sunderland are linked to an Italian international star plying his trade for Juventus in the same all-conquering side as the iconic Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, fans are allowed to get carried away. Emanuele Giaccherini arrived on Wearside in 2013 during the whirlwind Paolo Di Canio 'era' for around £6 million, and captured the imagination of the locals. It was an exciting time, with expectations set high for the new Premier League season. Of course, everybody knows that simply wasn't the case. Jozy Altidore was about as much use as a three-legged chair, the master magician Cabral evaporated into thin air, Di Canio left in fury, and the whole club defaulted back to square one - and Giaccherini was hauled down with it. The Italian was accustomed to being surrounded by quality. He was an amateur in the art of 'struggling', a talent mastered by Sunderland. Giaccherini isn't a Messi-like figure who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck and dominate throughout, but he proved he could be a classy cog in the larger machine at Juve. He had a poor side around him, and that suffocated his talent immensely. Injuries also played a key part in his lack of impact, but in fairness, he did make 32 appearances during his first season with 5 goals to his name, despite never really being played to his strengths.

Credit to Giaccherini that he didn't kick up a fuss when injuries and a lack of chances culminated in him losing his Italian squad place for the World Cup. He'd obviously must have been frustrated, but whenever a Serie A return is linked, his agent always shuns it away. Giaccherini wants to be here, now Advocaat needs to give him his deserved chance. Lee Cattermole and Seb Larsson are the heartbeat of the team, an excellent balance of tenacity, solidity, and even quality, but their side characters have left a lot to be desired throughout last season. Liam Bridcutt has been sorely disappointing, devoid of the creative spark required, Jack Rodwell has been the let-down of the season following his huge money move, offering very little going forward or defensively, while Jordi Gomez was also lacklustre for the majority of the season before an admittedly stellar run under Advocaat. But that should be where Giaccherini slots in. He offers far more creativity than Bridcutt, more tenacity than Rodwell, and more class than Gomez. He doesn't need to be immense defensively, plus he's also played in a midfield three for both club and country with great success previously. He's the perfect man for that role alongside Cattermole and Larsson, and could finally provide the electricity the midfield has lacked for so long. Of course, there's no guarantees he can re-capture his Juve form, and maybe the move simply won't ever click, but at the very least he deserves a fair crack in the side. Giacc could still be polished into the creative gem Sunderland thought they'd signed from the Italian champions. What do you think? Can Giaccherini turn his Sunderland career around? Or is it too late?