A-Leagues great Joe Montemurro has been appointed head coach of the CommBank Matildas.
Montemurro is the permanent replacement for former boss Tony Gustavsson following months of speculation, after the former Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City coach departed European juggernaut Lyon.
A two-time Ninja A-League champion with Melbourne City, Montemurro guided Lyon to a fourth consecutive Premiere Ligue crown, having also guided the club to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals while boasting Matildas star Ellie Carpenter.
The 55-year-old has now won league titles in Australia, England (Arsenal), Italy (Juventus) and France.
“I’m here because of the love of the game here and the love of the opportunity to come back,” he told reporters on Monday before travelling to Canberra to watch interim boss Tom Sermanni’s final match in charge.
“All these years that I went through the coaching journey in Australia, all these years through the A-League… to be given the opportunity to lead one of the best brands in the world, one of the most exciting teams in the world, and to do it at home, it’s something quite emotional.”
Football Australia Interim CEO Heather Garriock said: “Every one of the criteria, Joe ticks.
“That’s the reason why we fought so hard to get Joe back to Australia. He’s Australian, and Australian-based. He loves football, he loves the nation. He wants to develop the next generation, and he knows how to win a few trophies.”
Montemurro is back involved with Australian football following a history-making in Melbourne.
Along with a pair of Championships, he also created history in 2015-16 after the team went through the entire women’s campaign without dropping a point.
“I want to be able to leave a situation here, or create a situation here, that every young female player dreams of the opportunities that are going to be given to them in the national team pathway,” he said.
A Women’s League Cup the season prior was also added to the collection followed by consecutive runners-up medals and a finals appearance in the 2017-18 FA Women’s Cup.
Montemurro, who also coached Melbourne Victory, boasted a 76% win rate during his Arsenal spell from the 2017-18 to the 2020-21 season in the Women’s Super League – the second-highest rate of any coach in that time (minimum five games).
At Italian giants Juventus, he delivered an unprecedented treble in his first season in 2021-22 before being lured to Lyon ahead of 2024-25.
“We want to control the game. We want to have the ball. We want to be able to control the game even when we don’t have the ball,” he said.
“You’ll see a team that will take risks. You’ll see a team that’s going to be brave. You’ll see a team that’s going to excite. I know no other way of playing football, and it’s a matter of now instilling that identity.”
Montemurro continued: “You’re not going to see, in the first game I take over, that all of a sudden we’re getting 85% possession and we’re entering into the attacking third 40 times.
“But the most important thing is to have it ready and [have an] understanding for the big tournaments – when it’s important. It’s a matter of creating a whole of football perspective going forward, so that we understand what our identity is.”
He added: “My intention is to sit down with all the players, even the extended squad, and map out a process – a thorough profiling of what’s required to play the brand of football that we want to play.
“Sam [Kerr] fits into that scenario where we’re just going to assess and monitor and see where she’s at. Let’s get her fit and right, and then we’ll have those discussions [about her return].”
Featured Image: Football Australia
