When Ettore Guidetti arrived in the Philippines to coach Nxled, he was eager to assess his players’ skills. To his delight, he quickly identified one area that needed little adjustment: defense.
The Italian tactician praised the Chameleons’ defensive prowess, which allowed him to focus on developing other skills to prepare for a stronger performance in the upcoming 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference. The team is aiming for a comeback after a challenging 1-7 finish in the Reinforced Conference.
“The team is a defensive one, so I don’t think I need to spend too much time on this. They love to dig. Normally, it’s difficult to score on the first attempt against my team, so right now we’re trying to raise the bar in other areas,” Guidetti said, as the six-month-long conference nears.
Nxled will begin its campaign on November 12 against PLDT at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Chameleons retained a solid core during the offseason, led by Chiara Permentilla, Lycha Ebon, and Jho Maraguinot, with support from May Luna, Krich Macaslang, Anne Esguerra, Lia Pelaga, and rookies Lucille Almonte and Razel Aldea.
(C) PVL Images
The lineup also includes setters Jaja Maraguinot and Maji Mangulabnan, as well as liberos Rachel Jorvina and Bang Pineda.
Despite their struggles last tournament, Guidetti expressed admiration for the team’s commitment to daily improvement.
“The commitment of the players is super high. They are open-minded to my system. I see general development in each of them, and even the level of passing is rising,” he shared.
Guidetti, however, tempers expectations for his first conference with the Chameleons, acknowledging that the team has a long way to go to reach the league’s top ranks. But with consistent progress and a fierce determination to fight for every point, he is eager to show that Nxled belongs among the league’s best.
“Well, the good and bad thing is that they had a difficult season last year. That made them willing to improve and open-minded. So my work was pretty simple at the beginning. Now comes the hard part—we have to prove that my work is paying off,” Guidetti said.
“Realistically, we have to approach the conference with courage and bravery, while also knowing we’re not one of the top teams in the league. We need to approach every game with humility and a strong desire to keep getting better with each match.”
