Above: Joe Montemurro while coaching the A-League All Stars in 2024
Impetus writers look at the reasons for optimism and concern following Joe Montemurro’s arrival as the Matildas coach.
Why we’re optimistic: By Ella Mcshane
In a widely anticipated move, Joe Montemurro has been announced as the next head coach of the CommBank Matildas. While the news itself sends minimal shock waves through the Australian football community, Montemurro’s impressive coaching record offers a much-needed glimpse of hope for the successful future for the CommBank Matildas.
Montemurro began his women’s football coaching career in the Australian domestic league in 2014 after successfully leading men’s youth teams for the years prior. And since joining at the genesis of the women’s professional game in Australia, only layman’s terms can describe Montemurro’s coaching career. Wherever he has gone, results have followed.
Montemurro led Melbourne City’s inaugural side through an invincible 2015–16 season and secured the championship again the following year. He then joined English powerhouse Arsenal, delivering the Women’s Super League title in the 2018–19 season. Over three years at Juventus, he guided the team to one Scudetto, two Italian Cups, and two Italian Super Cups. Most recently, Montemurro capped his short tenure at Olympique Lyonnais by securing the French Première League title.
Although telling, results and accolades are mere symbol of what characterises a successful manager. Montemurro has historically been praised for his personable and “project” style of coaching. Beth Mead honouring the Australian in her memoir Lioness “From day one, Joe has a warmth to him and is deeply personable. Every day, he walks around the training ground…and checks in on each of us” (Beth Mead, 2022).
With the Matildas looking to take the next step toward major silverware, Montemurro’s arrival signals both ambition and renewal. His proven ability to build winning cultures and foster longitudinal cohesiveness, is arguably the cog that has understandably been missing in the mechanisms of the Matilda’s since the departure of Tony Gustavsson.
Why we’re slightly worried: By Kieran Yap
Make no mistake, Joe Montemurro has the most impressive CV from any Australian coach and any potential Matildas coach, but that does not make this an appointment without risk.
For all his success, Montemurro has no experience in international football. He has had almost unequalled success at club level, but he will only have nine months and four international windows to implement his style and choose his best squad of players before the Asian Cup.
The day to day opportunity to work with players will not be possible with The Matildas and the player pool is spread across Europe, North America and Australia. It is a huge task with very little time.
Montemurro’s titles have come with Arsenal, Juventus, Lyon and Melbourne City. All impressive clubs but also the fastest cars in the race, at least on paper.
The Matildas, for all their talent and potential are not that, and are possibly approaching a rebuilding phase.
Australia has stars, and Montemurro’s record shows that he knows how to work with the biggest names on the planet, but they will also need to integrate younger, less experienced players with almost no time. On this aspect of the job he is unproven and with the U20 and U17 coaches also new to their roles there will be no time to learn. All of this has to be gotten right in around 6-8 games at most.
The incoming Matildas coach has extensive experience in Europe, but defeating European opposition is no longer the hugely important task it was before the 2023 tournament. Our title rivals are in Asia and that is a vastly different challenge logistically, and tactically. It has been a challenge Australia has long struggled to meet and one that European style possession football has been ineffective so far.
They will go into the home Asian Cup as one of the favourites but will face significant challenges from South Korea, North Korea, China, and Japan. These teams are not only formidable in form and have decent records against Australia but all play very differently and will likely require a variety of tactics to overcome.
The appointment is the best possible choice in this moment, but the 10 month delay in finding a coach has cost Montemurro and Australia vital preparation time, and although he has often brought instant success, international football is an entirely different beast to club world.
The timing of this announcement means that it will only be seen as a success if Australia lift the trophy for the first time in over a decade, but it also means that it is much more difficult to do so.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 