Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano intends to still be in charge of the Isuzu UTE A-League club next season.
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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.
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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.
“When we are mathematically out, I’m going still play the same style and try to get (the players) ready for next season.”
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.
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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.
“There’s never been a point of the season where I’ve given up. It’s more about motivating the group and making sure that they don’t give up and the morale is still good.
“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.
“There were some really nice passages today that we haven’t done for a while, so that excited me. It’s just a matter of showing the players that if we can do it consistently, there’s still something definitely to play for.”
