KATHMANDU: The Nepali national football team has a new Head Coach – Vincenzo Alberto Annesse of Italy. All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) began searching for a new head coach after Qatari coach Abdullah Almutairi resigned in September last year. ANFA received 168 applications for the position and shortlisted 20 coaches. Annesse, who has spent two years coaching various clubs in India, was ultimately selected for the role.
Annesse, who holds a UEFA Pro License, previously coached Indian Super League (ISL) team North West United for a few months before taking on the role of Head Coach for the Nepali national football team. Prior to that, he spent two years coaching in India’s second-tier competition, the I-League. During his time as coach, his team, Gokulam Kerala FC, won two consecutive league titles, making him the first coach in India’s football history to lead a team to back-to-back titles.
Under Annesse’s leadership, Gokulam transformed into a formidable force. They only suffered one defeat throughout the entire 2021/22 season and set a record for the longest winning streak in the I-League with 21 consecutive wins.
Eyes on Serie A
Annesse had always aspired to play in Italy’s top-tier league, Serie A. However, his playing career was limited to local clubs. After retiring, he pursued a degree in physical education and obtained his UEFA Pro License, preparing himself for a career in coaching.
His ultimate dream is to coach a Serie A team, as he revealed in an interview with an Italian news portal last year. “It was my dream to play in Serie A but I couldn’t do it. But my dream is to coach in Serie A. This is my dream. I have coached abroad just because it is very difficult to coach in Italy. You need to have a big name like a former player,” Annesse told football news portal Get Italian Football News. “I want to reach the best point for a foreign coach abroad and come back to Italy as a winner and then coach a Serie A team.”
While it remains unclear what kind of success he aims to achieve in a foreign country, he has already established himself in the South Asian football scene.
Despite the option to extend his tenure with Gokulam, Annesse decided to pursue a new challenge. “I have won everything with Gokulam. The only thing left for me to win in India is the ISL, which naturally attracts me,” Annesse explained upon leaving Gokulam in May 2022.
While he hoped to receive offers from ISL clubs, Annesse interviewed with several teams but was not selected. However, he eventually received a proposal from North East United, based in Guwahati, when they were at the bottom of the table with eight defeats.
Annesse’s arrival could not save North East United from finishing at the bottom of the table in the 11-team competition, which has no relegation provision. Under Annesse’s leadership, the team played 12 games, winning one and drawing two.
Beginning
Italy is divided into 20 administrative regions. Annesse (38) hails from the Apulia region. However, he did not have the opportunity to play for the only Serie ‘A’ club in the region, Lecce. Instead, he started his career at Venezia, a club based in Venice, which was in the top flight at the time.
After leaving Venezia, Annesse returned to southern Italy and played for semi-professional teams such as Martina Franca, Noicattaro, and Lamatura.
Following the end of his playing career, Annesse pursued a degree in physical education at the University of Verona and the University of Foggia. He also taught in the university from 2008 to 2013. Annesse considers teaching career as his ‘Plan B.’
He took a full-time coaching job after obtaining his UEFA Pro License in 2016. Annesse, who had been active in the Serie ‘C’ scene between 2010 and 2012, became Foggia FC’s fitness coach in 2013.
Latvian side Saldus SS was his first club outside Italy. After spending one season there, he moved to Estonia to become the assistant manager of top-flight side Paide Linnameeskond. He coached Armenia’s U-19 team for six months.
After spending some years in Western Europe, Annesse left for Ghana to gain experience in African football. He spent one season with Bechem United in Ghana before heading to Palestine, where he joined Hebron-based Alhi Al-Khalil. He then moved to Indonesia, joining PSIS Semarang.
Annesse often accused foreign coaches of ISL of preferring expensive foreign players instead of helping in the development of Indian players.
Experience in India
Annesse had two main goals in India: not to stay longer than two years in a country and to strengthen his CV. He achieved both goals by winning two I-League titles in his nearly two-year stint in India, which definitely made his CV stronger.
Italian football is famous for its defensive playing style, but new managers like Antonio Conte have changed the playing styles in Italy. Annesse and Conte share at least one similarity – they are both graduates of the University of Foggia. However, their playing styles are slightly different. While Conte prefers to play with three central defenders, Annesse prefers a more aggressive 4-3-3 formation.
During his short stay in India, Annesse was often featured in the Indian media. Known for speaking his mind, he continued to share his opinions about Indian football. He even went as far as countering a statement made by Indian head coach Igor Stimac about the quality of players in the ISL and I-League, saying “The quality of Indian players in the I-League and ISL is the same. Foreign players in the ISL have more quality.”
Annesse often accused Stimac of ignoring Indian players playing in the I-League. He is of the opinion that India should prioritize local players in both leagues. Annesse also accused foreign coaches of ISL of preferring expensive foreign players instead of helping in the development of Indian players.
His views on young players are very interesting. “The best thing about young players is that they often lack tactical knowledge. Some will say that is a bad thing, but I feel that is a plus point,” Annesse told Indian daily Times of India. “Young players have power, enthusiasm, and motivation, unlike some experienced players. You can do whatever you want with them.”
Some news reports claimed Annesse is interested in becoming the Head Coach of the Indian national football team. However, his decision to take the Nepal job means that his wish remains unfulfilled.
A student of modern football, Annesse likes aggressive games. “I love to attack and to create space to attack the opponent. I want my players to fight, and if we are too soft, it will be easy for the opponent,” Annesse told Times of India. “If we do not force them to make mistakes, it will be hard to get points.”
