Italian football legend arrives to coach T&T women

Carolina Morace and her staff arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday evening to officially take up her appointment as Director of Women’s football and head coach of the National Senior Women’s Team.

The former Italian international’s appointment was announced in December by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Morace arrived with assistant coach Nicola Williams of Australia and the former striker was looking forward to the appointment.

“It is very exciting to start this new experience and we are excited to do our job. We are excited to start…I want to go fast in this phase of our experience and I think that the most important thing is to respect the culture,” said Morace at the Piarco International Airport on Monday.

The Italian, 52, has had experience coaching the national teams of Canada and her native Italy and she gave the broad outlines of her coaching philosophy.

“I am not a coach that is adjusted to defence. I think that to defend the best way is to attack. But to do that we have to be organized. I know that we have to do a lot of work but I know that football is simple. Our job is to make simple what we want to teach,” Morace said.

The Venice-born Morace revealed to reporters that she has already started work in developing a team with the assistance of former women’s football technical director Jamal Shabazz and team manager Jinelle James.

“We have a list of players with the potential for the national team. So we are here to have a look at the players that already play for the national team but also for the player that has never played for the national team. This national team is open to everybody and of course we have to make some choices,” Morace said.

Carolina Morace represented Italy from 1978-1997, scoring 105 goals in 150 games and represented Lazio, Milan and Verona at club level.

As a coach she has been national coach of Italy and Canada and has managed the Lazio women’s team and the men’s team Viterbese of the Italian Serie C.

Morace holds a UEFA PRO License and has conducted FIFA Coaching Courses around the world as a FIFA Ambassador and Instructor.

She was also CEO of the Juventus Academy Roma and formed her own coaching academy, Pro Soccer Coaching.