Andrea Dossena reflects on his Liverpool career and reveals all on becoming a manager in Italy in an exclusive interview with the ECHO’s Theo Squires
“Liverpool cult hero is now completely unrecognisable as a manager”.
We see these kinds of headlines all the time when scouring the internet, and nine times out of ten, we’re left underwhelmed at the result. Yet in the case of Andrea Dossena, such media outlets might have a point.
It was back during the November international break when the Italian was the subject of such treatment, with a number of websites jumping on the bandwagon.
After the aforementioned first hit, alerting the rest of the world wide web, ‘Liverpool cult hero looks unrecognisable in their new manager role – as former full-back is pictured on the touch-line in Italy’s third division’ and ‘Liverpool icon who scored vs Man Utd now unrecognisable with full head of hair,’ both followed elsewhere within the next 24 hours.
It’s admittedly true. When signed by Rafa Benitez in a £7m deal in July 2008, Dossena was a skinhead defender. Sold to Napoli 18 months later at a loss following a disappointing stint at Anfield, he returned with thick, dark locks when facing his former club in the Europa League the following season.
The 42-year-old is now manager of Serie C side Pro Vercelli, enjoying his fourth managerial stint since first taking to the dugout in 2019. And now boasting lighter, tied-back long hair, he looks very different from when he famously downed Real Madrid and Manchester United in the space of a week back in March 2009.
In truth, the Premier League winter break is probably a prime time for such ‘unrecognisable’ content to emerge. But with Liverpool not in action this weekend, the ECHO thought they would just seek out an interview with Dossena himself instead. And no, his hairstyle was not something we included on the agenda.
Although in the third tier, they are one of Italy’s most historic clubs. Pro Vercelli might not have competed in Serie A since 1934/35, but, with seven league titles, only Juventus, Internazionale, AC Milan, and Genoa have lifted more.
Last champions in 1921/22, they would even face Liverpool for the first, and to date only, time at the end of that campaign as the Reds embarked on a post-season tour of Italy. They had been crowned champions of England themselves for only the third time that season, with the two sides fighting out a 0-0 draw.
Considering Liverpool’s rise over the past century in complete contrast to Pro Vercelli’s decline, which saw them relegated to Serie D and even folded due to large debts in 2010, before slowing working their way back up the ladder, the fact that they were undefeated against the Reds is still something the club cherishes and prides itself upon to this day.
In fact, it was one of the first things Pro Vercelli media staff said to us before granting the ECHO’s interview request.
Of course, a number of former Liverpool players from the Benitez era are now trying their hand at management. Xabi Alonso is the standout, thriving at Bayer Levekrusen, while Steven Gerrard’s reputation has taken a hit since winning the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, now struggling in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq after being sacked by Aston Villa.
The chances are, you will have next to no idea about Dossena’s own managerial career in comparison, which saw him first take charge of Serie D side Crema, move on to Ravenna before stepping up to Serie C side Renate after a solitary campaign. He was on the move again after another single season when taking over at Pro Vercelli last summer.
A glance at such short stints and you could be forgiven if you were to doubt the 42-year-old’s credentials. But having been on the verge of promotion with both Ravenna and Renate, it is his own ambition that has led to such departures. And with Pro Vercelli currently fourth in Serie C (north), a promotion push is in his sights once more.
“I chose Vercelli because I wanted a team that would allow me to work as I wanted,” he exclusively told the ECHO. “The season, even though we are only halfway through, is very positive.
“I chose to leave Renate last year because I understood that the group had reached the limit in terms of motivation so I decided to change club. I love this job obsessively and I think I can pass this message on to the guys I’ve had over the years, I try to push them beyond their limits and then these results can be seen on the pitch.
