LIFE IS SWEET
Dietary advice from di Canio helps Scotland star Ritchie to reap rewards
MATT RiTchie has no way of sugar-coating the pill. Minus the influence of Paolo di canio and italian football, the decaying influence of a sweet tooth might have shattered his chances of international football.
As a young player at Swindon, he was never fit enough. There were reasons — most of them in a colourful wrapper — why he never thought of himself as an especially athletic footballer.
That was until the arrival of di canio as manager.
‘i had a sweet tooth when i was a teenager and i didn’t know it might be affecting my performance,’ recalled the Bournemouth winger.
‘i always felt i wasn’t very athletic as a young lad. i was more about technical ability but he (di canio) helped improve my fitness.
‘i would eat sweets on the way to the game, thinking it would give me energy.
‘i was 21 when i started working with him. i didn’t realise how important diet was or that i could get to the level of fitness i could.
‘Suddenly we trained seven days a week and had a proper diet. i’ve taken that with me in the rest of my career.’
Whippet thin and the subject of a failed multi-million-pound bid from West ham recently, Ritchie is now an established Premiership footballer and was voted Scottish Football Writers’ Association international Player of the Year at the end-of-season awards.
The fruits of abstention are there to see. These days he rarely indulges in life’s guilty pleasures.
‘When you stop doing something and see the instant results then it’s easy to give them up,’ he said.
‘he (di canio) made me realise if you put your work in you will succeed. he gave me more belief.
‘When i worked with him i was the fittest i’ve been and haven’t looked back. i indulge now and then but very rarely. Paolo instilled the italian mentality. There was no butter, tomato ketchup or milk in tea and coffee.
‘You learn a lot about why these things are important and when someone like Paolo di canio is telling you not to do it then you listen.
‘he wasn’t telling you to do anything he didn’t do himself as a player. he’s had a big influence on my career.’
The idea of di canio as some form of managerial role model will strike many as improbable
At Sunderland, the ban on ketchup gained him a reputation as a killjoy. A complex, unpredictable character, his relentless commitment to physical conditioning drove some players to the edge, destroying their self-esteem and confidence. in contrast, Ritchie seemed to thrive.
‘Don’t get me wrong, he was mad… i remember at an end-of-season party he got up and sang Dancing in the Moonlight,’ recalled Ritchie. ‘he was a rubbish singer. Fair play to for him getting up and singing, but he wasn’t very good. At least he looked the part with his shades.
‘i speak to Paolo now and again by text. i’m sure he’ll be happy for me. We had a great relationship when i was at Swindon.
‘i’ve always admired the italians. They’ve got top players. Any team with that amount of quality is going to be a team you admire.’
Antonio conte’s side will use the Scots as a euro 2016 warm-up in Malta on Sunday.
Mercifully, perhaps, there is no Mario Balotelli in the squad. Or, more regrettably, an Andrea Pirlo.
‘Pirlo is a player everyone has watched for many years and it’s probably good news he’s not included,’ said Ritchie, ‘but i’m sure there will be another superstar in central midfield.’
he says this with resignation rather than trepidation or fear. Under eddie howe at Bournemouth, Ritchie has grown.
Those who were unsure of his credentials as a Scotland player have been slowly turned around and convinced by his pedigree and performances. in a squad peppered with championship players, his cV now stands out.
‘The first season in the Premier League has been a real eye-opener, playing against the best players in the world,’ admitted Ritchie.
‘The longer the season went on we really grew into ourselves as a team, and as individuals, and believed we could compete.
‘it was a great achievement to stay in the top flight and it shows with the quality of the teams that went down. The test was the same playing in the Premier League as it is when we play against top nations with Scotland.
‘The difference is that with Bournemouth the manager gets more time to work with the players and it’s tougher for international managers to get their point across.
‘The manager here does it fantastically well and, as soon as you meet up, you know exactly what the plan is for the games you’re going to play.’
The 21-man Scotland squad flying to Malta on Saturday might best be described as makeshift. Players with experience of european football or even playing in the top tier are a rarity.
By holding his own in the Premier League, Ritchie now stands out as an exception rather than a rule in the Scotland squad.
Against world-class opposition preparing for a stage which proved beyond the Scots, he is a player Strachan will ask to get on the ball and make things happen.
‘To play international football is fantastic but you couldn’t have asked for two better games than italy and France,’ said Ritchie.
‘The italy game in particular is very important because it’s in Malta, who we play in World cup qualifiers in September.
‘it’s a big step in our preparation. We’ll get to see the stadium, training ground and the hotel so when we return we’ll know our surroundings.
‘it’s good to test yourself against top teams, top players. We’ll have to treat these games as seriously as qualifiers because we want to build momentum.’