I think we're seriously lucky to have the chief. Seems like a guy that is destined for greater things.
Perhaps he's eyeing up Japan, as his next coaching gig post the Nix. That's often where the more successful ALM coaches have gone, for their first overseas gig. And it certainly reads like he enjoyed his time there he'll need to run it past his mama first.
But be easier to stomach as a Nix fan, than him going to an Aussie club.
Wonder if someone told him watching Niigata, there was also a Kiwi alongside Deng.
He spent time with FC Tokyo’s Aussie head coach Peter Cklamovski – Ange Postecoglou’s former right-hand man with Yokohama F.Marinos and the Subway Socceroos.
It was all part of building on an unforgettable season in Wellington; a chance to grow as a coach and network.
“I’ve known Pete since I started my A License (in Australia). He was the second assistant with the Socceroos and he was fast-tracked with Ange Postecoglou for the Asian Cup. We met there,” Italiano told aleagues.com.au.
“He was really accommodating when I went there. It was a matchday minus two and he wanted me to come into the meetings. I got there a bit late because I got lost but I ended up going to training. He allowed me full access into the office. We sat down and went through some of the struggles he had. Watched training and went through the way he operates.
“He actually gave me some really good ideas in terms of moving forward and how I wanted to deal with staff because he runs it really well.
“He is a really good guy. There wasn’t a barrier. Sometimes, when coaches invite other coaches sometimes they protect their intellectual properties being the coach and that, but he was pretty open.”
FC Tokyo was not the only J1 League side Italiano visited; he also spent two days with high-flying Kashima Antlers, who currently sit fourth in the Japanese top flight.
Across those two stops, there was one big takeaway.
“They (Kashima) have Milan (Miric), who is the assistant coach and Aussie, and Ranko Popovic, who is embedded in the J.League. He is a great coach and coached in Spain too,” Italiano recalled, having also spent time watching J2 and University football.
“They were really nice. I spent some time at Ranko’s house.
“It was funny. I went and watched the game against Thomas Deng’s Albirex Niigata. They drew 1-1 and I met with Ranko afterwards and was thinking, the worst time to meet with a coach is after a game.
“He came over, we enjoyed a bottle of wine and talked about football all night. I spent some time at the training ground. I learnt a lot.
“One of the big things I got out of it was the way they kind of structured (things), ideas-wise we’re very similar, but the way they do things is a little bit different.
“But it was good because it was like, ‘maybe I’m on the right track here’. Even Pete’s environment was different but still the same thinking or methodology behind everything we’re doing.
“That’s what I really wanted to get out of the trip – to see if I’m missing something in terms of the process, not so much the football content because that’s subjective.”
However, Italiano got more than he bargained for abroad.
His trip laid the groundwork for two signings from the J.League – AFC Champions League winner Kazuki Nagawasa and Hideki Ishige from Gamba Osaka.
And there could be more to come.
“The trip (to Japan) was primarily centred around football education and learning, and improving my own environment,” he said.
“As a consequence of that, I was able to network with a lot of agents and clubs.
“Out of this whole exercise, without going into what clubs I interacted with, I was able to get four or five clubs to send me a list of loan players I would never have had at the beginning of last season. Just my network wasn’t big enough to do that. That’s opened up quite a number of doors.
“That’s how I was able to get Kazuki and Hideki. It was more about opening up those relationships and those people connected with the clubs knew of me. The whole process was great.
“I went initially for the football and the recruitment came on the flipside.”