“Vince Ierardo at Western United, an analyst. His role at Western is a big inspiration,” says Marchioli. 

“George Apostolidis, a performance analyst at Melbourne City, he’s an ex-player of mine. 

"He worked with Arthur Papas in Saudi and in the A-League. He flys under the radar but he was the one who gave me a crash course on SportsCode.

“And there’s Kate Cohen, now at Macarthur and formerly with the Matildas - we used to write at Leopold Method. 

"She’s someone who is starting to gain a bit of respect on social media… she’s unbelievably under-rated."

Marchioli himself is getting known on LinkedIn and social for his tactical analysis of A-League clubs. 

These younger coaches and analysts have literally grown up in the digital era and are innately more data, digital and social media savvy. 

Marchioli, for instance, combines the head coach role with the job of the analyst. 

Like Arthur Papas 10 years ago, Marchioli hasn’t relied on a long pro playing career to elevate his coaching dreams. 

He’s just got on with it and proved himself. 

Brunswick City is one of the most attractive teams to watch in the NPL. 

Papas has proved an inspiration to Marchioli as he reflected on key moments in his 14-year coaching career. 

“The people that Arthur has worked alongside in places like India, Saudi Arabia, and now in Japan. 

“The knowledge of the people he’s worked with has set him up for the position he’s in now with Ange [Postecoglou].

“And having Pep [Montemurro] as my technical director at the time as a 19-year-old. 

"Being exposed to coaching in our state program where I worked with kids who are making it now, such as Josh Cavallo (Western), Connor Metcalfe (City) Denis Genreu (Macarthur) and former Victory and now Borussia Monchengladbach's Cristian Theoharous.

“But as a 22-year-old, my biggest leap,” he explains with pride, “was taking a Women’s Premier League side as a senior coach.”

With half the dressing room older than their coach and with a team at the bottom of the league halfway through the season, Marchioli worked his magic. 

He quickly got his hands on footage from the first half of the season.

Marchioli assessed many players were largely being played out of position. 

The young coach soon put some structure around the side’s shape. 

He quickly found success. It was an epiphany. 

“We then went on a four-game unbeaten run for a team that couldn’t seemingly score and had shipped more than 50 goals.

“We ended the season drawing with Steph Catley’s Sandringham, the eventual champions.

"It was like we’d won a final, the celebrations were bloody brilliant!

“That was the moment I sort of thought, ‘I think I’m capable of doing this.’"

Pleasingly, Yokohama Marinos boss and J-League winner Postecoglou has taken the time to email Marchioli. 

It was a special moment when that popped up in his inbox. 

“One sentence of encouragement from Ange can give me six months of inspiration. 

"Something like that from Ange means the world."

Marchioli, whose family hails from Rome and Abruzzo, says Australia’s foreign contingent of coaches: Postecoglou, Papas, Cklamovski, Montemurro, Muscat, and Trani are inspiring.

“I definitely want to continue to be a head coach,” he says. 

Digital transformation via analysis and data-driven software and has been used by coaches like Marchioli for an edge in semi-pro NPL

“For me, the perfect week is when you’ve prepared for a game and there are absolutely no surprises and you’re actually a few steps ahead. 

“You have that advantage because you’ve got a level of detail and you’ve prepared in a level of detail that allows the players to showcase and to complete the roles required to the best of their potential.

“What can that knowledge when given to the players and how can that improve their game?

“Players these days want to know you’re there for them, not to just prove how smart you are. 

PLUS...

The 'failed’ Aussie player going places as a coach

The Ange Postecoglou legacy continues to inspire, a beacon for Australia’s next generation of coaches who may or may not have been professional footballers.

“Players can see through you if you’re wishy-washy, and don’t have a conviction in your game plan.

“There’s a way I want how my teams play, I don’t want to change it that much.

“Eventually I do want to test myself overseas. But I’m patient ... I have a great opportunity right now with Brunswick City. 

"Guys like myself and Ben [Cahn] are in this situation where we’re lucky enough to be given this opportunity at a young age.

“It takes the right people with the courage to give young people with potential the opportunity."

Marchioli wants to help Australia to win a World Cup one day. 

If so, we’ll need more data-savvy and tactically astute coaches like Riccardo Marchioli if we’re ever to become a world power.