Di Matteo wants Prem return ahead of schedule

IF you thought Roberto Di Matteo was laid-back, relaxed and easygoing, think again. His calm and composed manner in the public eye is deceiving.

This is a boss who has worked his Aston Villa first-team longer and harder than any other pre-season at Bodymoor Heath.

Remember when certain players kicked up a fuss when Gerard Houllier laid on a handful of double sessions?

Well, those individuals wouldn’t last very long under this regime.

Di Matteo had his players in from 9am to 6pm during the first few weeks of summer training.

In Austria he put on gruelling morning and evening sessions with a particular focus on team-building in between.

It’s been the hardest pre-season to date for some players but those long runs and extensive technical drills will pay dividends in the end if Villa’s quality shines through.

Di Matteo’s meticulous planning has left no stone unturned in his mission for immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

Yet it’s not do-or-die this according to the Italian.

“I’ve signed a two-year contract and I think it’s a two-year plan to get us back into the Premier League,” he term, admitted. “We all know it’s very difficult to get back there. The history and the past shows that.

“It’s a two-year plan but we know the sooner the better.”

Privately Di Matteo is going all out for promotion at the first attempt. It’s hard to imagine the 46-year-old still in the Villa Park hotseat this time next year if the club remains in the Championship.

But clearly the task will not be simple.

“The hardest thing to overcome so far is the disappointment of last season,” Di Matteo said.

“That has been in the players’ minds. We’ve been trying to work on it and forget about it and move on. It’s been a hard part.”

Recruiting talented and passionate new recruits like Pierluigi Gollini, Tommy Elphick and Aaron Tshibola has helped change the focus in the first team.

All three immediately bought into the manager’s views and shunned top-flight opportunities in favour of the Midlands.

“We want more players like those three,” the boss added. “They have settled in very well. “I always try to assess the person first and then his professional qualities.

“You try to identify people who are ambitious and have the right attitude. I think these are the kind of attributes we’re looking for.” all