Phoenix captain Annalie Longo Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Wellington Phoenix women's captain Annalie Longo goes into her second A-League season in charge yet to show her best as a leader.
The retention of Longo as skipper was a no-brainer and the 33-year-old said one of the main reasons she accepted the job again was because last season left her unfulfilled.
Longo will lead the Phoenix into their fourth season in the A-League which starts on Friday night at Western United in Melbourne.
The 136-cap Football Ferns midfielder joined up with the Phoenix last year following a stint with Melbourne Victory.
She has battled injuries in recent years, suffering an ACL injury in 2022 which put her in a race against time to be fit for the FIFA World Cup which New Zealand co-hosted in 2023.
Longo missed the entire 2022-23 A-League season and only managed a dozen games last season before she was once again sidelined with an Achilles injury.
The side started last season with five wins and a draw in their first nine games, but then won just four times in their last 13 games to finish eighth on the table.
The team culture needed to be rebuilt.
"I definitely felt a bit of pressure last year," Longo told RNZ.
"It was a unique year in terms of we had players that had been in the squad for a number of years, we had new players coming in and we had internationals and that dynamic was a change for players.
"Dealing with different cultures, different styles of play and coming together for a lot of players was a new experience.
"So there were definitely a lot of learning's for me and the team."
Annalie Longo of the Phoenix celebrates a goal, 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
That left Longo feeling there was some unfinished business for her.
"Picking up that injury halfway through the season certainly hampered my time on the pitch and so there was that feeling of wanting to give more especially when we really struggled at the back end of the season and so for me it was I know I can give more, I can be that person and lead."
Longo is now dealing with nine new players in the squad having lost a significant amount of experience since last season.
"We have a nice balance, we are still very young this season but you can see players with more international and professional experience.
"The young players bring freshness and excitement and we want to encourage that and we want them to achieve big goals and sign big professional contracts and play for New Zealand."
The expectation is there and Longo said they know how they can achieve it.
"We want players to have energy and belief in themselves to be confident and fearless.
"For players to take risks I think that is a little piece we've missed, I'd rather we won games 5-4 than win the game 1-0.
The 136-cap Football Fern played her fourth Olympic Games in France earlier this year and is about to start another A-League season with a lot more to give.
The Phoenix women finished 10th in their first season in the competition in 21-22, 11th the following season and eighth last season.
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