Serial winner Montemurro confirmed as new coach of Australia's Matildas
SYDNEY, June 2 (Reuters) - Joe Montemurro was confirmed as the new coach of the Australian women's national team on Monday and handed the task of leading the Matildas to the Women's Asian Cup title on home soil next year.
The 55-year-old Australian moves from Lyon Women to replace Tom Sermanni, who has held the role on a caretaker basis since Tony Gustavsson departed in the wake of last year's disappointing Olympic campaign in Paris.
The Matildas have established themselves as one of Australia's most popular sports teams but despite runs to the latter stages of the Olympic Games in 2021 and the Women's World Cup on home soil two years later, silverware has been sparse.
Serial winner Montemurro, who said the appointment was the "honour of a lifetime", will be expected to change all that.
"To be given the opportunity to lead one of the best brands in the world, one of the most exciting teams in the world, and to do it at home, it's something quite emotional," he told reporters in Sydney.
"It's all set up for me to take over and bring it to the next level. Is the Asian Cup winnable? Of course it is ... I want to win, I want to win playing a great brand of football."
After a modest playing career, Montemurro started his coaching career at state level in Victoria before taking over Melbourne Victory's women's team in 2014.
He quickly established a reputation for playing attractive football and moved across his hometown the following season to join Melbourne City, where his team won two W-League titles.
In November 2017, he moved to England to take over as Arsenal head coach and within six months had steered the club to victory in the FA Women's League Cup.
The Women's Super League title was to follow in 2019 before a switch to Juventus women, where he won the Serie A and Coppa Italia double in 2021 during a successful three-year spell.
He was hired by Lyon Women to replace UEFA Women's Champions League-winning coach Sonia Bompastor following her departure for Chelsea in June 2014.
Montemurro has long been Football Australia's prime candidate for the Matildas post and he was freed to take up the job when Lyon released him from his contract on Sunday.
With a squad featuring Arsenal's UEFA Women's Champions League-winning trio Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord along with Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, expectations on Montemurro to deliver long-overdue success will be high.
"We are at an exciting moment for the Matildas with the Women's Asian Cup nine months away," said Football Australia interim Chief Executive Heather Garriock.
"We expect this team to be focused, driven and ready to show the world what we believe they're capable of."
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