The coach who replaced Silipo makes his debut in the Rotterdam qualifiers, first match against Greece on Friday: “They will be great tests”
Full stop. Setterosa’s new course begins tomorrow in Rotterdam, with the World Cup qualifiers: it is the first commitment of Maurizio Mirarchi, who moved on March 2 from the bench of Settebello (assistant to Sandro Campagna) to that of the Azzurri, after his divorce from coach Carlo Silipo. The girls have been preparing in recent days in the federal center of Trieste, where Mirarchi coaches the A-1 men’s team: “We have worked intensely, both physically and tactically, trying to build a clear playing identity and lay the foundations for the future. I have seen great availability and commitment. It will be an extremely demanding test – explains the coach – with the strongest teams in the world. We want to be competitive in every match, but beyond the result I expect signs of growth”. Mirarchi, who turned 65 on April 6, was the coordinator of the women’s youth selections and led the Under 20 team, which finished fourth in last year’s World Cup in Brazil. His list of achievements includes a bronze at the Universiade in Germany, again in 2025. Marco Manzetti is his deputy, confirmed on the staff like team manager Elena Gigli.
THE FORMULA
—
Eight teams divided into two groups, Setterosa in group B debuts at 8.15pm against world champion Greece, then will face Australia (Saturday, 8.15pm) and hosts Holland (Sunday, 6.30pm). The top two in each group will qualify for the finals on 22-26 July in Sydney where Settebello will also be present, but play will continue until Wednesday 6th to define the grid. Third and fourth teams join another group that offers a fifth pass to the Final Eight (two others were awarded by the Second Division played in Malta, to Russia and China, while Australia is qualified by right as the host country). All matches are streamed live on the paid section of the World Aquatics website. Among the 16 players called up, 11 confirmed from the last European Championship in Madeira, which ended in fourth place with Silipo. Gaia Gagliardi (Orizzonte) and goalkeeper Olimpia Sesena (Roma) return, with debuts for Cristina Malluzzo (Cosenza, the club that won the Conference Cup), Giorgia Klatowski (Trieste) and Benedetta Cabona (Rapallo). Setterosa has never won either the World League or the World Cup which replaced it. A year ago in Chengdu, China, Greece won ahead of Hungary and the Netherlands, with Italy in sixth place.
The 16 blue ones: Condorelli, Sesena (goalkeepers), Giustini, Cabona, Bianconi, A.Cocchiere, Ranalli, Papi, Bettini, C.Tabani, Gagliardi, Leone, L.Cergol, Klatowski, Gant, Malluzzo.
The groups: USA, Hungary, Japan, Spain (A); Holland, Australia, Italy, Greece (B).
Friday 1: USA-Hungary (14), Japan-Spain (15.45), Holland-Australia (18.30), Italy-Greece (20.15).
Saturday 2: Hungary-Japan (14), Spain-USA (15.45), Greece-Holland (18.30), Australia-Italy (20.15).
Sunday 3: USA-Japan (14), Hungary-Spain (15.45), Italy-Holland (18.30), Greece-Australia (20.15).
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED