Wellington Phoenix boss Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano says he’s recaptured his love for football ahead of Saturday night’s exhibition match against global sensation Wrexham AFC at Sky Stadium.
The Nix are now back in pre-season training and applying the finishing touches to their preparations ahead of Saturday night’s showpiece friendly with the Red Dragons, who have so far played Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC as part of their tour Down Under.
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“Great! Getting away and seeing my best mates, you know, a week away, was the best thing for me,” said Italiano when asked by reporters how he’s feeling after a challenging Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-25 campaign which saw the side finish in 11th position.
“Probably, after the second or third day was the first time that I actually stopped thinking about football and when I came back, you know, I’ve been in the office from, eight in the morning to eight in the evening.
“I love it, you know, I’ve got my energy back. I love this game and I’ve got that that love and that passion back, so hopefully I can transfer that back into the team.”
After reaching the semi-finals of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2023-24 season, the ‘Nix struggled last term and as a consequence of their disappointing league finish, there’s been plenty of upheaval at Sky Stadium in the off-season.
Six first team players including Kosta Barbarouses, Scott Wootton and Sam Sutton have all left for pastures new while five of Chiefy’s backroom staff also departed as Italiano himself put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal before the end of the campaign.
Kosta Barbarouses |
Scott Wootton |
Sam Sutton |
“I think part of any self reflection, you know, you need to be honest. We had an internal review, I also went away and spent some time working on myself and I was very, very honest in my own demeanor last season,” the Phoenix boss said.
“I felt a bit of a shift halfway through the season, even though I didn’t consciously try to bring that on to the players (but) the players can feel that.
“Sometimes when you’re in this role it can be a very lonely role, and you carry the burden of the team.
“But I’ve addressed that, we came in I said what I needed to say. I think the boys were all on the same page as well.
“We’re, culturally looking to put some steps in so that everyone’s voice is heard and felt appreciated and I think that’s going to go a long way to building a strong foundation so we can do well this season.”
Wellington will field a young side on Saturday night against a Wrexham AFC outfit looking to bounce back following their 2-1 loss to Sydney FC.
The Red Dragons are themselves preparing for a campaign in the EFL Championship following their incredible run of three consecutive promotions through the English football pyramid, all of which has been captured on the hit docuseries Welcome to Wrexham.
“Don’t spoil it, because I’m still in season one!” quipped Italiano when asked what he’s made of Saturday night’s opposition and their rapid rise to stardom.
“It would have been nice to have a couple more weeks preparation but no, absolutely buzzing. The group’s buzzing.
“We’ll have a younger team playing in the first half. Second half will be essentially the academy playing as well. So I’m buzzing for both groups.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase what the squad can do, especially in the short pre-season, we’ve already come a long way. We’ve addressed, obviously, things from last season, but everyone’s on the same page, which is very good.”
Among those to miss out for the Nix will be senior players such as Corban Piper, Tim Payne and captain Alex Rufer.
“Rufs (Rufer), he’s out till early August, he picked up an injury on All Whites duty. Corbs (Piper) unfortunately has osteitis pubis, so he won’t be available until maybe the end of September. So that’s ongoing. I think he’s going a little bit better than expected.
“Painey’s (Paine) had bit of aggravation with his achilles, so he’s kind of in and out. I don’t expect a return from him, probably for at least not a couple of weeks.
“Paolo Retre has just come back from his wedding a little bit under done, so we’ve just given him some rest and now he’s just integrated back into the squad, so he won’t be available for tomorrow.”
Another player who won’t be available for the clash is new striker Ifeanyi Eze, with the Nigerian forward still awaiting a New Zealand work visa to come through.
“I’ve been very fortunate that in my seven years here that I’ve (been) heavily involved in the recruitment, built an extensive network in terms of agents and contacts,” said Italiano when asked how the club came across the 26-year-old who scored 15 goals last season for Al-Karkh SC in the Iraq Stars League.
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“An agent reached out to me that otherwise we wouldn’t have connected with. We spoke and (it) just was an off-the-cuff remark about what sort of player I was looking for.
“(He) came back to me the day after, and said, ‘Look, I think I potentially have someone that you might want to consider’.
“I had a look at him and to be brutally honest, as soon as I saw him the first time I said this is the player that I need, which I very rarely get that feeling.
“Every time I watched him, I just got more confident that he’s a player that I need.
“I hear a bit of a narrative that a lot of people don’t rate the Iraqi League, but, you know, their coefficient is higher than the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“The fact that he scored 15 goals and six assists in a team that was struggling is a positive side. But again, for me, it’s more about the person, and I think what he’s going to bring to this team; 26 (he) has something to prove.
“You know, he wants to reach big heights. He had some big offers in the Middle East, but I feel like he wants the challenge of the Isuzu UTE A-League that can really boost him and get to where he wants to. And I think if we can reach his potential, I think the sky’s the limit.”
Wellington Phoenix squad: 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 15. Isaac HUGHES, 17. Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES, 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 23. Luke SUPYK, 24. Xuan LOKE, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA, 27. Matt SHERIDAN, 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH, 31. Ryan LEE, 32. Ryan WATSON, 33. Dylan GARDINER, 34. Nick MURPHY, 35. Matt FOORDE (gk), 36. Luke MITCHELL, 37. Anaru CASSIDY, 39. Jayden SMITH, 40. Eamonn MCCARRON (gk), 42. Fergus GILLION, 44. Dan MAKOWEM, 45. Lewis PARTRIDGE, 46. Lachlan CANDY, 47. Luke FLOWERDEW, 48. Mac MUNRO.
Unavailable: 3. Corban PIPER, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Ifeanyi EZE, 8. Paulo RETRE, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 19. Nathan WALKER, 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD.
