BENITO CARBONE: I may be Italian but people should not compare me to Di Canio... I can be a successful manager in England

Published: 02:30 EST, 1 January 2014 | Updated: 05:44 EST, 1 January 2014

Benito Carbone is the Italian striker who played in the Premier League between 1996 and 2002 for a host of clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Bradford. In his debut Footballers’ Football Column the 42-year-old talks about his desire to manage in England and says he would not be daunted by a job in the Premier League. He also says he hopes he will not be compared to his former Wednesday team-mate Paolo Di Canio following his unsuccessful spell at Sunderland. Before you read his column, check out his video below…

The next step for me is to manage in England. If I was offered a Premier League job tomorrow, I would not be afraid. I would be ready for it.

I have already managed in Italy’s lower divisions and I recently turned down two offers from second-tier clubs there and one from the third.

This is where my future is, in England. It is the place to be. All I ask is an opportunity, and if clubs are not sure they can call the Italy manager, Cesare Prandelli.

Ambition: Former Sheffield Wednesday striker Benito Carbone says he wants to manage in England

He knows me and my qualities to be a manager, from my time playing for him in Italy, and he said he would always give me a reference. He is an outstanding coach and incredible person.

We were together at Parma when the financial scandal hit, and the players went without wages for months on end. The whole club could have fallen apart, but he had made us into a family. We were a tight-knit group, and we saw it through. Italy are in safe hands at the World Cup.

You have to be allowed to manage your own way and make your own decisions. In Italy, things can change in the space of two or three games. You can be sacked that quickly. I know some managers have lost their jobs here lately but generally you are given a proper chance to show what you can do. It is important to have a project that will bring about continual improvement and that is what I always do.

I like to build a strong spine through the middle of the team, with strong characters who will stand up to any challenge and talk to players around them. That’s why I admired Roy Keane so much at Manchester United. He drove that team on with his character and sheer willpower.

If I look at the Premier League now, I like Jose Mourinho. He is a winning manager, and I like the way he is with his players. I like dialogue with players, because you have to know what is going on in their minds and whether there are any worries or problems holding them back. If there are, you have to help them. It is the only way to get the best out of them.

In terms of my managerial ambitions I hope no-one thinks 'Oh another Italian, another temperament like the last'. I don’t know how Paolo Di Canio feels now or what went wrong at Sunderland. 

It was a big leap for him from League One to the Premier League, but he had the personality to handle that.

All I know is he has professional pride and he likes England a lot, so maybe he will come back. I think he wants to show everyone his time at Sunderland was not a true reflection of him as a manager.

You cannot assume everyone in Italy has the same temperament. It is different from one person to another, like in any country, and I am different from Paolo. He has his personality, I have mine.

Maybe I am better than him, maybe worse, but no-one can be sure until they get to know me. Paolo is one person, I’m another, and I treat players in my own way. I am never going to offend a player.

Reference: Carbone says Italy manager Cesare Prandelli can vouch for him as a manager

Don't judge me: Carbone says he should not be compared to fellow Italian and ex-team-mate Paolo Di Canio

Pizza the action: Carbone says he and Di Canio are two very different people and managers

I only finished playing a couple of years ago, and it is still clear in my mind how I wanted to be treated by my coach. I know what the players want, and it would be stupid to go against them, when I know they can do their best for me on the pitch, provided they are treated properly.

They have to understand there is a difference between them and you, but there is a right way of showing them. I will always talk with you and defend you in public, but you have to do what I say because it is my responsibility that the team succeeds. That is always my message.

I would never step in front of a television camera and single out a player for a mistake. I hate when a manager says, 'When we win, everyone wins, but when we lose, you lose.'

Winner: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is the manager Carbone admires the most

Hard man: Carbone admired Roy Keane for pushing his side on and having the drive to be successful

For me, when we win, everyone wins, when we lose, it’s, my fault. I will put my face in the firing line in public every time, but inside the dressing room, you have to tell the truth.

When I was a player the I used to play in the No 10 shirt. Ten is such an important number in Italy. All the greats have worn it, from Roberto Baggio to Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti, and I always wanted it. When I joined Napoli, I wore the same No 10 that had previously belonged to Maradona and Zola.

Flying owl: Carbone was a popular player during his time at Sheffield Wednesday

Mobbed: Bradford fans show their delight at signing Carbone in 2000

I’ll never forget my time there, 75,000 people inside the stadium singing a song specially for me. First of all Maradona, second Gianfranco Zola, third is Beni Carbone.

I used to ask Diego’s personal masseur at the club all about him, and the more I heard about how he used to give his time to help young players and other people, the more he became my absolute hero. It was then I decided to have his photo on my left shin, and it just made sense to have someone like Baggio on the other.

Perfect 10s: Diego Maradona and Gianfranco Zola both wore the No 10 shirt at Napoli before Carbone

Tribute: Carbone wore shin pads with Roberto Baggio and Maradona on them

The manufacturers did it for me, and from that moment on, I wore them every game I played. Maradona in Argentina kit and Baggio in an Italy shirt. I just wanted something with me out on the pitch that would give me inspiration, and they did. They gave me strength and confidence to try things that would entertain the crowd.

They are safe in my home now, a special memento from my playing days. Now all I need is something to show as a manager to go alongside them.