Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano has the “utmost confidence” heading into the opening round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League, despite a disrupted pre-season and a few injury setbacks.
The Phoenix play host to Western United at Sky Stadium on Sunday afternoon, five months after their record-breaking campaign came to an end just minutes short of a maiden grand final appearance.
International commitments, including the Paris Olympics, injuries and late arrivals have meant Italiano and his coaching staff have had limited time with their first-choice players during pre-season.
The Nix will be without Marco Rojas (leg fracture), Paulo Retre (groin strain), Lukas Kelly-Heald (hamstring strain) and Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues (knee strain) for Sunday’s season opener, but the second year head coach is far from downcast.
“Whatever players I field in my XI I’m going to have the utmost confidence,” Italiano told media before training on Friday. “I’m always confident with whoever I field and whoever makes the matchday squad.
“I know my players give 100 per cent, they’re very committed and they’re a group that keeps themselves accountable.
“If you look at all of our friendly games so far I haven’t had the same XI, for whatever circumstances, but all of the boys that have played…have all performed quite well so I’m very confident.”
While he concedes it’s been more difficult to build chemistry and cohesion during this year’s pre-season, Italiano’s pleased with the progress they have made.
“It’s more on the coaching side an opportunity for us to be more thorough in our process, more detailed and more bang for buck in terms of the content and our teaching points.
“I feel as though the group is further ahead than what I expected with all of those interruptions.”
Visa signings Josh Oluwayemi, Kazuki Nagasawa and Hideki Ishige are all set to feature against Western United.
“Both Nagasawa and Ishige [have fitted in] very well. It’s taken them a bit of time.
“I would have liked a little bit more time in pre-season to absorb the principles we’re trying to play with, but they’ve been doing well.
“And Joshy had a little bit of sickness which halted his progress, but every game that he plays I’m more and more confident that he’ll be a great addition to the squad.”
Scholarship signings Luke Brooke-Smith, Corban Piper and Jayden Smith have also been named in the extended 20-strong squad for round one, along with young forward Nathan Walker, who has been promoted from the reserves.
Giancarlo Italiano was asked whether Smith or Walker could feature against Western.
“All of the players are in contention. I still haven’t made a final decision on the gameday squad.
“Walker provides a different dynamic to a lot of the other boys who have been training. He’s very quick, has a bit of an x-factor about him and he’s fearless as well. Once we polish some of that skillset that he has I think he’s going to be a very effective player for us.
“To throw him in the deep end and start him when we’re a little bit green everywhere else I think is a little bit premature for him. But off the bench I think there’s an opportunity.
“Jayden’s done exceptionally well. He’s come in an embraced the role and everything I ask of him he does.
“Is he the finished product? No, he’s got a lot of development but it’s very positive.
“He’s another young player that needs time. He’s on the same sort of trajectory as Finn Surman, when he first started. He got thrown in the deep end it took him three seasons to get to his peak.”
Australian forward Stefan Colakovski hasn’t been considered for selection having only joined the Phoenix last week.
The opening round Isuzu UTE A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Western United is scheduled to kick-off at Sky Stadium in Wellington at 4:00pm (2:00pm AEDT) Sunday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 3 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ in Australia.
Tickets are available here.
Most recent meeting: 10 February 2024 – Wellington Phoenix 2 Western United 0
All-time A-League head-to-head: Phoenix 9W, Western 3W & 1D.
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted on matchday): 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 10. David BALL, 12. Mo AL-TAAY, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 19. Sam SUTTON, 23. Luke SUPYK, 24. Oskar VAN HATTUM, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA, 27. Matt SHERIDAN, 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH, 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 39. Jayden SMITH, 41. Nathan WALKER.
Unavailable:8. Paulo RETRE (injured), 17. Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES (injured), 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD (injured), 21. Marco ROJAS (injured).
Western United squad (two to be omitted on matchday): 1. Tom HEWARD-BELLE (gk), 4. James DONACHIE, 5. Oliver LAVALE, 6. Tomoki IMAI, 9. Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 10. Matthew GRIMALDI, 13. Tate RUSSELL, 14. Jake NAJDOVSKI, 17. Ben GARUCCIO (c), 19. Noah BOTIC, 20. Abel WALATEE, 21. Sebastian PASQUALI, 23. Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 29. Charbel SHAMOON, 30. Dylan LEONARD, 32. Angus THURGATE, 33. Matthew SUTTON (gk), 34. James YORK, 37. Luke VICKERY, 77. Riku DANZAKI.
Unavailable: 7. Ramy NAJJARINE (injured), 43. Khoder KADDOUR (injured).
Main image: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
