OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Joe Montemurro named new Juventus Women head coach

Ever since Rita Guarino’s exit was confirmed last month, there has been one named linked with the managerial position at the best club Serie A Femminile has to offer. Nobody else. Just the same name, and that seemed to be that, with not even one or two other names even being randomly linked to the job.

On Tuesday, that man was officially hired as Guarino’s replacement.

Joe Montemurro is the man now tasked with starting another winning cycle for the Juventus Women after being hired as the club’s new manager, following up a four-year run where Guarino’s Bianconere absolutely dominated the league that they joined in 2017; Montemurro comes to Turin after spending the previous four season with Arsenal and is being viewed as the kind of manager who could take a team with growing expectations — like, hopefully getting a friendly draw in the Champions League and advancing a round or two — to the next level.

From Juventus’ official website:

It’s official: Joe Montemurro has joined Juventus Women as their new head coach, in what marks the beginning of what will certainly be an interesting and exciting journey together.

The 51-year-old, who will take charge from 1 July, arrives in Turin with nearly two decades of coaching experience under his belt. His coaching career first kicked-off in his homeland of Australia, where he first coached youth teams before moving on to train clubs like Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

In November 2017, he made the move to Arsenal Women, where he needed just five months on the bench before going on to lift his first ever trophy at the club in the form of the FA Women’s League Cup. Since then, many memorable memories and records were achieved during his stay in London.

The 51-year-old Montemurro takes over a roster that, for the first time in its existence, has seen big names head out rather than the entire core stick together like what happened after last season was ended early due to the pandemic. Barbara Bonansea’s contract renewal is a huge boost, but Montemurro will have a new goalkeeper wearing the No. 1 jersey after Laura Giuliani’s departure last month.

But what Montemurro will bring to the table is both the intriguing yet nerve-wrecking part in all of this. Guarino’s brand of football fit the roster perfectly. She wanted her teams to play direct and with tons of energy, and that’s exactly what they did. It proved to be an incredibly successful plan, too, with Guarino going 4-for-4 when it came to winning the league title during her four seasons at the helm.

How Montemurro will mold this squad into his vision remains to be seen. But there’s definitely a high bar already set, and that’s thanks to the person with whom he is the successor. Guarino got this ball rolling. Now it’s on Montemurro to not just keep that going, but to try and raise things a level or two.