Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano intends to still be in charge of the Isuzu UTE A-League club next season.
Italiano was speaking following Wellington’s 6-1 rout at the hands of rivals and league-leading Auckland FC in front of a sell-out crowd at Go Media Stadium on Saturday.
The second-year coach is out of contract at the end of 2024-25 after a history-making debut at the helm of the Phoenix, who narrowly missed out on a maiden Premiership and Grand Final berth last season.
This term, Wellington find themselves 11th and seven points outside of the top six following an off-season that saw stars Alex Paulsen, Ben Old and Finn Surman headline their departures abroad.
“Up until we’re mathematically out, we’re going to keep pushing,” Italiano told reporters.
A reporter then followed up by asking if Italiano would be at the Phoenix next season.
“Yes, the intention is to be here next year,” the 42-year-old replied with a smile.
Despite sitting outside of the finals places, Italiano remains confident in Wellington’s top-six quest.
“We’re definitely in it,” he insisted. “I’m always hopeful.
“It was easy to throw in the toys at half-time. At 3-0, most teams probably take a more cautious approach. We were on the front foot.
