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World Cup Champions: Interview with HPE-regia5

Geschreven door AQP-Xose

On this occasion I have been able to speak with a true HT legend who is about to celebrate two decades at the helm of various NT/U21. He is a two-time world champion and on more than one occasion he came close to adding more gold to his achievements.

His name is HPE-regia5 (911825) and his career includes, in addition to his native Italy, a vast list of countries: Cambodia, Norway, India, Slovenia, Qatar, the Netherlands, Sao Tome and Principe, Faroe, Iraq, Chinese Taipei and San Marino.

#1 You started playing Hattrick 19 years ago and you've always been in charge of a national team for 16 years in a row. Who was regia5 in 2004 and who is in 2023?

I was a young guy in 2004, while of course after 20 years I'm now a man. I live HT differently, more or less as a relationship. You're not anymore so excited for anything, but you're more mature and your approach is different. But I still love the game and I still find it challenging, just in a different way, as the game itself changed and evolved.

#2 Your first great achievement was giving Norway their second World Cup in 2010, defeating Bolivia in the final. How important was the experience gained as coach of Cambodia and Italy to get the gold?

It was very much important. I also won the World Cup with Norge in my 2nd term there, and the experience proved to be vital, as we adapted some stuff and changed something in our approach. It was a very different game, but we were creative and we overcame the fact that, at that time, Norge wasn't a top team.

#3 In 2011 you were again coach of U20 Italy and you gave your country the second World Cup in this category, beating Norway in the final. You had the experience of being coach of U20 Cambodia and U20 India, but what was the most important thing for you in this campaign?

Italy U20 was a true top team. I knew since day 1 we could have won the World Cup, and I strongly dedicated myself to make sure we had the best chances. I think that the connection between me and my assistant zorro33, and our wisdom to always look at the overall picture without being too much emotional on single results was the key for success.

#4 You didn't win a WC again, but your achievements kept growing year after year: you lost three WC finals in two years in a row, and you got two bronze medals in the U21 World Cup and Asian Cup for the last three years, something you haven't had since the bronze in the U20 World Cup with Italy in 2012. What do you like most about being in command of a NT?

I was also lucky to win two, of course, and my biggest regret has been to never add a 3rd World Cup, despite losing 3 finals having even 81% chances to win one (the highest % for a Final loser xD), but I never managed U21/NT for success. I do it as I enjoy the community part, the scouting part, and I find it challenging at any level. With India or Chinese Taipei for example I know I'm the underdog, but I also know that hard work will pay off, as we showed winning the first ever medal for Chinese Taipei (Asian Cup bronze), despite having the lowest TSI of teams in our qualification group (that we won).

#5 We have always seen you as a coach of a European or Asian NT, but never in an African or American NT. Do you plan on being a candidate in these continents in the future?

No specific plan for the future. I tried a couple of times, but it didn't work out well on elections, but of course I'd be open to new journeys :)

#6 What did you think of the way in which Italy was eliminated from the current WC by Portugal?

A team should never MOTS at that stage in my humble opinion; Italy could have played CA anyway, but I think that the match was ok. It happens.

#7 This Friday we have an unprecedented final with Argentina facing Portugal. With your vast experience in finals, what advice would you give their coaches?

Just don't be scared and go for it, in the best way you think you can play; then luck/random can give you a positive or negative result, but it's quite important to never have regrets.

#8 What would you recommend to every manager who wants to be a NT coach? Which are the steps to follow?

If you want to be U21/NT coach make sure you'll spend years (years, not months or weeks) learning behind the scenes; do scouting works, spend time studying the historically better teams (Italy, Germany, ...), how they develop players. Make sure you understand the game, predicting outcomes before you'll see 100 replays. After that, think about running for the U21/NT position, but only after.

#9 Are you happy with the current state of the game? Is there something specific you'd like to see in HT?

I think HT evolved well during the last years; there's always something more you can do, but overall the game is enjoyable and with various challenges; HT did a far better job in recent years than in the past!

#10 I am a great connoisseur of indie wrestling around the world, so the names of your third and fourth team really caught my attention. Are you a Rising Sun fan or part of the staff?

This is a huge surprise! I'm the Rising Sun owner/promoter, so the company is more or less my son, a dream which became reality 7 years ago in 2016.