Giancarlo Italiano: Wellington Phoenix Head Coach on Auckland FC derby

Auckland FC will host the Wellington Phoenix in front of a sold-out Mt Smart stadium tomorrow afternoon.

The home team remain unbeaten.

Wellington Phoenix Head Coach Giancarlo Italiano talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan ahead of the match.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hither duplasy Ellen, So we have got the derby tomorrow afternoon.
Auckland FC is going to host the Wellington Phoenix in
front of a sold out Mount Smart crowd tomorrow in
the afternoon. Phoenix head coach Young Carlo Italiano is.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
With us now. Hallo mate, Hi, how are you well?

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Are you feeling confident?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
I'm always confident every game I'm going to but there's
always a fear of not performing well, which is always
a good way to keep me in check.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
What do you think? I mean, listen, even if you
I mean, I know that you're going to have a
bias and you're going to have the mixed feelings because
you're the competitor. But if you step back from who
you are and the job you are, the story about
Auckland FC is quite remarkable, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
No.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
I think your parallel is probably what where Sydney Wanderers did,
probably about ten years ago when they were introducing too
the league. They started, you know, as a new franchise,
and then they snowboard. I think they went ten games unbeaten.
I think it also maybe eleven games unbeating at the
beginning of the season and then from there they were
able to go and make a couple of Grand finals,

(01:02):
but then they won the Asian Champions League.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
So it's great for the league.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
It's it builds interest, especially for New Zealand general and
the football landscape.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
So no, it is quite significant. And so where are
the West City Wonderings?

Speaker 1 (01:15):
What are they called w Sydney Wanderers?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Western City Wonders?

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yea, And what's going on with them?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Now?

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Are they any good?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, no, they're not too bad.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
You know, they've had you know, that success and I
think they've kind of lost their way a little bit
trying to get back to to the top of the mountain.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
But that happens with all football clubs. What do you
put it down to?

Speaker 1 (01:36):
How is it that Auckland Livetcy have managed to pull
this off?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
I think money helps.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
David Choates is all with Dnacy this week I said,
that's basically what's going on here.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Look, it does help. I mean this year.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
I think with the A League in general, there's as
you would know, it's like a salary restricted a league,
so you know, most teams have a small allocation of
money that's kind of been effective for most part because
of the TV distribution deal. So any team that spent
money this year on players and they've recruited quite well,

(02:11):
have the opportunity to do well. So they've signed some
very good foreigners and make some competitive But again, look,
I think as well, when you sign someone like Steve
Coriker's coach who's won a couple of leagues, knows the
league inside out, it does make a big difference.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Right, So what do you I mean you obviously can't
say too much because you don't want to give you
a game plan away, But what do you reckon you
guys have to do tomorrow to win.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'm always happy to give my game plan away. Just
know one asks, No.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
I think the big thing is I think the game
is more. It can be played tactically. It can also
be played with the actual emotion in the of the
actual derby, because you know, it's it's unlike most competitive
games because it's more about bragging, right, So players take
that into the game. And I think when a team
defense so well like that like Auckland, have I think

(03:06):
scoring and if we'll just score early, it will change
the dynamic of the game and it will be a
real question about whether or not Auckland have any sort
of resilience.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
Given their heads, I haven't.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, I haven't experienced that yet, so I think that
that would be the game plan is, you know, it's
to score early. But again I'm happy to take a
one nial win at the death as well.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Hey, well, good luck, enjoy it tomorrow. I'm really looking
forward to watching it as gian Carlo Italiana Wellington Phoenix coach.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
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Speaker 1 (03:36):
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