by Hibernians and Valletta will conclude today’s fixtures at Dingli Ground, starting at 19:30. Coaches Kenneth Costantino and Jean Lopes provided their assessments on their last outings, citing the importance of collective strength as they look toward tonight’s battle.
Patience & Focus
Hibernians and Valletta will have their maiden meet of the season later today, with both teams hoping to build on last week’s results. Hibernians secured another three points, this time with a 10 – 0 victory against Mtarfa. On the other hand, Valletta had a disciplined display against Mgarr United to earn themselves the first point against the Greens.
The Paolites’ final scoreline against Mtarfa was a strong one, but the team did struggle to convert their chances in the opening half. Questioned on whether he believes this was a lesson learned for his team in terms of mentality considering that stronger opposition may have capitalised, Kenneth Costantino backed his team.
He said, “Without lacking any respect towards Mtarfa, it is very hard to get the girls to focus fully on the game, even though I advised them against being complacent. Seeing their previous scores might have relaxed the girls a bit too much. Scoring within the first minute did not help either. Having said that we dominated possession, were patient and controlled the rhythm of play. I’m sure they be more focused next time round.”
Questioned about the pride in seeing his team execute the game-plan to earn the first point against Mgarr, Valletta’s coach Jean Lopes focused on the importance of facing strong opposition for his team to grow, “For us, it is always a privilege to play against the best teams in Malta, because regardless of the result, it is always a great opportunity to learn from more experienced players and coaches.”
However, the Valletta coach denied that the approach was solely to stop Mgarr, “Our goal, in fact, is always to play to win. Leonardo and I, as coaches, believe that the tram are capable of always securing the three points, but we must understand that each game is different, and at times, we need to defend more than attack. Against Mgarr, we had some good chances in the first half, but in the second half, due to the pressure from our opponents, we had to work hard and focus on being more disciplined defensively to earn our first point. Of course, not just the defenders, but the entire team was very happy with the result.”
Maximising Squads
There were quite a few rotations in the match, with Natalee Geren also pushed into midfield, which gave the Paolites’ midfield a different look. Kenneth Costantino admitted he would’ve liked to bring on a few young talents, but was hampered, “To be honest, I intended to make more changes during this game. Howerver, Shana (Farrugia) and Federica (Zahra) were suffering from slight injuries and hadn’t recovered well since they played with the U19s less than forty-eight hours before. The way fixtures are set does not help with introducing youths. As coaches we have voiced our thoughts about this, but until now nothing has been done.”
The issue has indeed been publicly voiced by several coaches, with Swieqi United’s Mandy Debono being the latest to call for attention to it at the beginning of the season.
Addressing the question of whether supporters could get used to seeing more of Natalee Geren in midfield, considering the depth especially in centre-back positions, Costantino said, “Natalee can play anywhere. She understands exactly what I demand from her and is undoubtedly a huge asset. Though as you said, we have a strong squad and this allows me to adapt to opponents, the needs of the game and resting players who are fatigued physically and mentally.”
His counterpart, Valletta’s Jean Lopes, was also rotating his players during the match against Mgarr United. Most noticeably, Anna Aloisio reverted into defence against the Greens, while Lisa Vella operated on the wing. Sarah Vella Barberi was more central, while Marcelle de Oliveira Julio channeled attacks. As the match wore on, substitutes shifted positions even further.
Jean Lopes underscored the importance of versatility, “In modern football, it’s essential for a player to perform more than one role on the pitch. I’m fortunate to have players with this technical ability and, more importantly, the willingness to sacrifice for the team. This stems from work that starts primarily with the players’ mindset. When they understand and believe in themselves, they become even stronger.”
Match Expectations
The fact that the match will be played at Dingli Ground sets up a real possibility of a similar battle to that which unfolded between Mgarr United and Valletta last week.
Probed about whether this is the game-plan he expects from his opposition, Hibernians’ Kenneth Costantino replied, “No doubt that Mgarr played well against Valletta, but unless the ball goes in the net, you won’t win. Undoubtedly we expect a tough game from Valletta. They play a 5-3-1-1 formation, are well organised and can catch you on a counter. They also played a similar game against Birkirkara in the semi-final of the Knockout match last season and Birkirkara only scored through an own-goal late in the game. So it’s surely a difficult game. However, yes, I expect a similar rhetoric to their previous game. We must be clinical under goal, converting any chances that come our way.”
However, Costantino backed his team to rise to the challenge, “I genuinely believe that when our girls focus and up their game, they are hard to restrain. We played very well against Swieqi, and had equal play against a strong Mgarr, even though we had some players missing or not at their best. They switched gears in the last twenty-four minutes against Mtarfa, scoring 8 goals. An average of one goal every three minutes. Apart from the goals, they demonstrated some great play.”
Valletta’s Jean Lopes knows the strength that the Paolites possess, but reiterated that his team’s target is not to settle for a point, but to take all, “We know that Hibernians is an extremely skilled team, and we have to be very careful against a side of such potential. As I said, our goal is always to go in and win, and that’s what we will try to do. But football is like a game of chess — we need to use the right pieces and know the right time to attack and defend. I hope we can have another great match and come out of the game smiling and satisfied with our performance, just like in the last game.”
The two teams will take to the pitch at 19:30, following the other top clash between Mgarr United and Birkirkara (starting at 17:00).
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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