by Malta’s U19 Women’s National Team concluded its UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship commitments with two draws and a defeat. Coach David Attard discussed the internal efforts by the team to convert a disappointing start into better showings to improve the football and tally from the first round.
Weighing Performance Against Expectations
Malta completed its UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship matches with an opening defeat to Kosovo (6 – 0), followed by two draws against Latvia (1 – 1) and Khazakhstan (0 – 0). This round of matches followed a disappointing first round last November, where the team succumbed to three straight defeats at the hands of Slovenia, Croatia and Luxembourg.
Malta’s coach, David Attard, discussed the performance in view of the objectives set following that first round, “I felt that when we went to Croatia we didn’t play football. In the first round we focused on trying to organise the team defensively, but I wanted us to try to play football in this round where we were also playing at home. I wanted to focus on developing our football, to try to play from the back, rather than just go for the most direct approach to get a win.”
Discussing the preparation for the tournament which the team hosted, he finished, “We wanted to play our best football at home. We started working toward this in February and shifted to an attacking mindset. Tactically, the team pushed itself to be disciplined as well as we could without the ball. We saw a big improvement in this in the tournament, especially against Latvia.”
At U19 level, the next step for players will be to fight for a place at senior national team level. The Malta coach saw positives in the growth the team showed across the two rounds, in view of this long-term aim.
He said, “We wanted to teach our players to learn and handle the pressure of international football to prepare them for senior football. The most positive thing is that players understood that they should take chances, be courageous, accept that mistakes will happen, but at least they try to build from the back and play football. I was happy with the improvement in this aspect, when compared to the first round, on individual levels. I obviously hope for more on a team performance level. We want to win matches.”
Implementing Immediate Lessons
Malta’s opener against Kosovo wrinkled plenty of foreheads as the side succumbed to a 6 – 0 defeat. It set the tone for Kosovo who went on to complete the tournament unbeaten in the group, scoring twelve goals and conceding only one.
Probed about his assessment of the match and finding the way to push the response for two draws in a short span of time, David Attard was nuanced in the step by step process taken within the week.
He began, “Kosovo is a nation that is growing well, amassing good results against stronger teams in the last year. So, we knew that this would be a tough opponent. However, from the match we immediately knew we had to make tactical changes, while improving the attitude in defending set-pieces. I was disappointed by the poor determination displayed to fight for every ball, so we wanted to improve on this.”
He continued, “Our first push was to see spirit, determination and commitment from players. We spoke with players, became united on our desire to do better and show a good attitude to play football. We changed the system and by the final match I was happy with the improvement the team showed, both in mentality and tactically.”
Questioned whether he is happy with the results against Latvia & Khazkhastan or whether he believes that the team should have earned more, Attard replied, “I believe on paper we were the underdogs in the group. However, I think we did our analysis well and the players responded well to it. I was especially happy with the way the team responded to the approach against Khazkhstan to kill off their supply, since we knew that they are a team that likes to play in transition. I felt we could have gotten more from chances against Latvia, but I think the result was fair ultimately.”
Pushing For More On Individual & Team Level
There were changes since the first round in goal, with Erika Muscat holding the position strongly in this tournament, while Chanelle Borg had made a strong impression in the first round.
The defence featured more rotation and midfield featured more rotation, with several players involved as Malta attempted to get the better of the opposition. Ultimately, the team managed to reduce the goals conceded from twelve in the first round, to seven in this round.
On the other hand, the creation and goalscoring output remained limited for Malta, with just one goal scored, courtesy of Lara May Azzopardi who backed up strong displays with Birkirkara at national team level.
The team went into this tournament with a further depletion in attacking numbers due to varied circumstances. Among the most notable absences from eligible players, Lexine Farrugia continues to make the senior selection, while Kaysia Micallef is still nursing injury and Sara Saliba has ebbed from the game since November.
However, there was a positive in the return of Nyorah Celeste from an ACL injury, having last featured in the Assikura Women’s Knockout for Hibernians a year ago.
Asked about the player’s return, David Attard discussed to decision to include her in the group, “We followed her progress just like with did with other players like Ylenia (Azzopardi) who was also coming from injury during the first camp. We agreed with Hibernians that she was well enough to be part of the group for this tournament, but we took care to manage her minutes to ensure her return is gradual.”
The Malta coach hailed the attitude of the youngster, “Nyorah is a fantastic player, with a great attitude who has followed our meetings & sessions throughout the year. It was great to see her take to the pitch.”
Questioned on standouts in the tournament, David Attard refused to single out individuals, “Overall I think all players gave a good performance and the team pulled together to play football. It would be unfair for me to pick out individuals because I believe that football is a team game. So, I was happy with the players and hope they continue to push forward.”
Players will return to the pitch for the final matches in the domestic season. The Assikura Women’s Youth league returns this Tuesday and Wednesday, before giving way to the Knockout competitions at senior and youth level.
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
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