What Went Wrong For Roberto Di Matteo?

News broke Monday morning that Roberto Di Matteo would no longer manage Aston Villa Football Club.

Just one hundred twenty-four days into his reign, Roberto Di Matteo received the axe from club owner Tony Xia & his backroom staff.

How could one man fall so far from grace? Successful stints at MK Dons and West Bromwich Albion led him in charge of his former club Chelsea FC. A dramatic run through the Champions League in 2012 brought them to the final where the club subsequently won on penalties over Bayern Munich.

Now the Italian manager is unemployed with a full one win in eleven league matches. (Against basement dwellers Rotherham United no less).

Number two Steve Clarke will serve as caretaker manager while the chairman begins a search for a new man to lead the team. Former Hull City boss Steve Bruce is the betting line favorite currently at 6/5 odds. He infamously resigned one week before the start of the Premier League season due to a lack of financial backing from the club’s ownership.

Others rumored for the Aston Villa position include Brentford boss Dean Smith, Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner (An American, no less!), Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, and former Newcastle manager Steve McClaren.

For the sake of this article, we want to know what exactly failed for Roberto Di Matteo. After a £50 million pound summer war chest, the club expected to compete for a top two spot in the Championship (they still conceivably could, the season is only ~25% over).

The failures of the club can be summed into two words: roster construction. The club spent money amiably in positions that were not needed; while additionally failing to address positions in need of dire upgrade.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 28: Steve Bruce, manager of Hull City. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

The right fullback position is an excellent example of this where the club failed to make a move until late in the transfer window–eventually completing a move for Ritchie De Laet. De Laet, a good player, ended up shredding knee ligaments barely five matches into his Aston Villa career.

A singular lack of a contingency plan forces Di Matteo to reintroduce Alan Hutton back into the squad. Maybe he likes Alan Hutton. Maybe he doesn’t. The statistical analysis doesn’t like him; he’s a liability any time he’s on the pitch.

Central midfield always needed backing, but only received reinforcements by means of Mile Jedinak and the raw Aaron Tshibola. It’s arguable that the club only has one natural winger in Albert Adomah–a deadline day signing who began his Villa career injured. Jack Grealish is more an attacking midfield hybrid while André Green is simply too young to be counted on at this level.

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Emphasis was directed towards bringing in players with a vast amount of Championship experience. That’s great in theory, but unpractical in actuality. The players that have disappointed the most this season are ones who supposedly either “know their way around the league” or were summer recruits of Di Matteo and Steve Clarke.

Pierluigi Gollini, Tommy Elphick, and Mile Jedinak have all disappointed in their club appearances–all summer recruits. Even more worrying is the age at which many players were brought in at. Jedinak is 32 and was given a three-year contract by Tony Xia. Ross McCormack just turned 30 while record signing Jonathan Kodjia is 26. Albert Adomah is 28 while being cast out at Middlesbrough. Club captain Tommy Elphick was given a three year contract at 29–just one year after struggling mightily at Bournemouth.

We don’t know who the next Aston Villa manager will be, but can we assume they will succeed more than Roberto Di Matteo? Maybe, but they will be playing with the same starting eleven that lacks a natural right back, any wingers, and incisive central midfielders.

For all the dismay at Aston Villa the position remains popular among managers due to the size of the club and its aspirations. An unprecedented sixth manager in thirteen months will be appointed soon. Let’s hope they have the tactical acumen to turn it around because Aston Villa still can.

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