In tonight's edition of'On The Bench,' we get to know 2021 WNPLSA 'Coach of the Year' and Football SA NTC coach, Michele Lastella.
Why did you become a coach?
Simple answer, I love football. Long answer, as a player I always had that element of leadership in my character and style of play. Supporting and trying to get the best out of the players around me would always help ensure my teammates were in a good place and if so, then the team had a better chance of performing. I started to do my coaching badges while I was still playing (worst and best decision) and toward the end of my playing career, Michael Matricciani asked me to help out with the NTC Girls with minimal commitment. After getting to know the girls in the team and watching Michael coach, I was hooked and I was all in. Seven years later I am still here, and I can honestly say the culture the girls create makes them an absolute privilege to coach.
Who is your coaching idol; and why?
There are many coaches that I admire including, Pep Guardiola, Maurizio Sarri, Roberto De Zerbi, and Roberto Mancini but, a coach that has really captivated me has been Albert Capellas. While he is a little on the unknown side, he has had various roles including the Danish u21 National team and I believe is currently the assistant director at FC Barcelona and interim Barcelona B coach. I guess the main reason why he has captivated me so much is having the opportunity to access his coaching platform and listen to seminars, videos and demonstrations as to why his three pillars of positional play (position, possession, pressure) are so important. From an educational and learning perspective, the logic behind his possession-based style was honestly fantastic.
What has been your biggest achievement(s) as a coach?
As for most coaches, nothing satisfies me more when your team executes your team model and style of play. Working within the Football South Australia National Training Centre program, an achievement for us is seeing our players progress into the A-league women and/or National Team set-ups. Throughout my time within the program, we are starting to see an increase in players selected at a youth international level.
Best SA team to watch, past or present, that excites you as a coach.
When I think of the best team to watch in the WNPL, I can't help but think about the Adelaide City team from a few years ago where there were nine or so A-league women players, with Dylan Holmes and Nanako Sasaki absolutely running the show. Whether that excites me or not is a different story as our girls went through some character building exercises those nights.
What excites you most about the 2022 Season?
So many things that excite me for 2022
1) The Young Matilda's have qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Costa Rica, where two (one current and one former) our players are up for selection.
2) The Junior Matilda's are running multiple camps and elite matches throughout the year, one of which was recently held at the new State Centre.
3) With COVID slightly behind us, there is a good chance the NTC Challenge will happen. This is a great opportunity for our players to compete against the best players across the country.
4) The WNPL season has kicked off with 10 teams which I believe is a positive step forward for the women's game here in South Australia.
5) And finally, really excited for our girls to move into the new State Centre and utilise the facilities and push to take the program to another level.
Name a player in your squad under the age of 23 who we should look out for in 2022 and why?
All our players are under the age of 23.
Which new transfer are you most excited to be working with and why?
Every year we have several players join WNPL clubs and have between 3 - 6 players that come up into our program from the younger age groups. This season we have had 6 players join our squad and it is great to see them settle into our squad.
And finally....Besides finishing as high on the table as possible, what are your goals for the season ahead?
Our objectives are very clear, to develop the person and the player. It really is about our girls never forgetting where they come from, never forgetting all the effort their parents, families, friends, and guardians have done for them. At the beginning of the season, I had the girls calculate how many hours their parents have spent just driving them to training since the age of 5, the total amount of hours for the team was 28,000 hours is just under 4 years of only driving, that doesn't include watching them train. Second, it is about teaching our girls to look after themselves and their teammates so that no one else has to do it. If we can achieve this, and maintain a value-driven approach to their development, the rest will take care of itself.