Rita Guarino Appointed West Ham Women Head Coach To Lead WSL Challenge

Add as a preferred source on Google

West Ham have confirmed Rita Guarino as the new head coach of West Ham Women, following Rehanne Skinner’s dismissal. The Women’s Super League team sit second from bottom after a poor start. Guarino now prepares for a difficult debut, with an away match against champions Chelsea scheduled for 11 January.

Skinner left the role after West Ham Women collected only one win from their opening 11 league fixtures this season. That sequence placed the side in serious relegation danger. Guarino, aged 54, takes a first coaching job outside Italy after spells with Inter, Juventus and Italy’s Under-17s.

Guarino enjoyed dominant success with Juventus, guiding the club to four straight Serie A titles. During that period, Juventus won 90.2% of league matches and averaged 2.76 points per game. Across the Italian top flight, Guarino’s win rate stands at 68.6%, shaped by later mixed results at Inter.

Inter claimed 33 victories from 74 matches under Guarino, with 12 draws and 29 defeats recorded. Her experience managing at that level offers West Ham Women a track record of handling pressure. The club will hope those numbers transfer into improved results in England’s top division across the coming months.

Guarino’s first assignment brings immediate pressure, with West Ham visiting Women’s Super League holders Chelsea on 11 January. The new head coach then waits until 1 February for a debut home match, when West Ham Women welcome London rivals Tottenham to Chigwell Construction Stadium in another key fixture.

Im so happy to be joining West Ham United, Guarino told West Ham TV. It is a club with a big history and strong values that align with my own. Ive spoken with the board and Im really excited by the project here. There is a lot of talent and experience in the team, and I want to support the girls to develop as individuals but also as a collective. I want to build a team that is organised, aggressive with the ball and that tries to recognise and use space. The mentality of the team - the togetherness and hard work - is the most important thing. Im proud to be here and Im looking forward to the chapter ahead in the best league in the world.

West Ham Women now turn to Guarino’s extensive Italian experience to change the direction of their season. With the team in the relegation battle and difficult fixtures against Chelsea and Tottenham approaching, the new head coach enters the Women’s Super League under immediate scrutiny but with clear ideas for the squad.