Was Di Canio Short Changed?

Paulo Di Canio’s tenure at Sunderland was always likely to be a combustible affair but putting aside personality, how did his team perform on the pitch.

Sunderland Shot Statistics

In 12 matches, it is hard to say the Italian had a positive impact. Sunderland registered fewer shots per game, had less of the ball and scored fewer points. In mitigation, this is a very small sample size but the signs were ominous.

Performance Judged Results

Adjusted scores if every 3.6 shots on target resulted in a goal

If we use shots on target as a proxy for performance, the conclusion is equally damning. Sunderland only generated enough shots on target to win two games under Paulo Di Canio. On performances alone, Sunderland deserved 8 points from 12 matches, when in fact they got 9.

The big caveat to this analysis is the sample size. Twelve matches is a very short timeframe and a couple of good performances could have turned everything around but it seems Ellis Short was unwilling to take the risk.