PAOLO Di Canio has taken a leaf out of Jose Mourinho's book by declaring himself “the unique one” as he prepares to lead Sunderland into action for the first time this weekend.

Di Canio presided over his first press conference as Sunderland manager yesterday, and while he refused to discuss his political beliefs, he was more than happy to explain why he felt he was perfect for the post.

In his first press briefing as Chelsea manager, Mourinho famously claimed he was “the special one”, a moniker he more than lived up to as he guided the London club to their first league title for half-a-century.

Di Canio claims to have similarities to Mourinho in terms of personality and managerial style, but the new Black Cats boss insists he is even more of a one-off than the current manager of Real Madrid.

“I am the unique one,” said Di Canio, who has seven games in which to safeguard Sunderland's Premier League status, with the club currently one point clear of the relegation zone. “I am joking. No, actually, I am not (joking).

“We are all different, but it's obvious that some traits of our (Di Canio and Mourinho) characters are similar. I always speak what I think. Sometimes, in the past, people have said that my press conferences after the game come from my rash moments, but that's only because of things I have said and I have a strategy.

“I remember the media in England were very enthusiastic about him because people like Mourinho give you the chance to always get a big headline. But also many, many people said he was arrogant.

“He has a very high belief in himself, but this is all and perhaps I am similar. I believe in my knowledge and myself. I am confident I can deliver the best job for this club.

“It is obvious that I'm not trying to imitate him because I'm Paolo Di Canio. I am only at the beginning of my career and I will do things in my own way. That way, I know I can have success.

“We can joke about being the special one, or the unique one, but one day we will discover whether I am either a fantastic, good or just normal manager.”

When Mourinho moved to Chelsea, he had already won the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Porto. Di Canio's sole managerial achievement prior to moving to Sunderland was the League Two title with Swindon Town, so questions have inevitably been asked about the appointment of such an inexperienced figure at such a pivotal stage of the campaign.

Ellis Short passed over the likes of Mark Hughes, Roberto Di Matteo and Steve McClaren, unemployed managers with extensive top-flight experience, in order to appoint Di Canio, but the Italian is determined to repay the Sunderland owner's faith.

“In the last three or four months, every time a manager has been sacked, Paolo Di Canio's name was mentioned,” he said. “I have been lucky, but I deserve it because we did a good job in my last job. In 21 months, we delivered success to the club I was at.

“It was a surprise, but I am ready. I felt two years ago I was ready for the Premier League. I understand people are thinking, 'You didn't have any experience before and you have to prove yourself', but I will prove it if that is what I have to do to stay in the Premier League.

“I am a winning manager. I had a winning mentality (at Swindon) and we won. In the next few months, people will say they were wrong when they thought Paolo Di Canio was not ready.”

Di Canio took charge of his second training session since replacing Martin O'Neill yesterday afternoon, with his backroom reshuffle now complete.

As revealed in Monday's Northern Echo, first-team coach Fabrizio Piccareta, goalkeeping coach Domenico Doardo, fitness coach Claudio Donatelli and physiotherapist Giulio Viscardi have all moved to Wearside after working with Di Canio at Swindon.

Steve Walford, Steve Guppy, Jim Henry and Seamus McDonagh have departed, and it is clear that Sunderland's players will be exposed to a much more punishing training schedule under the new regime.

That schedule must have an instant effect given that the Black Cats travel to Chelsea on Sunday for the first of seven matches that will determine whether Di Canio's first taste of the Premier League lasts longer than a month-and-a-half.

Having signed a two-and-a-half year deal, the 45-year-old has grandiose plans for the future. For now, though, Premier League survival is the one and only aim.

“If we are talking about success, then it's obvious that the first thing is we need to stay in the league,” he said. “Eventually, we can imagine seeing Sunderland in a very different position at this stage of the season. But now, the only thing to think about is to get enough points to stay in the league – that will be enough of a success.”

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