by Mtarfa will be hosting Hibernians at Dingli Ground, with an early afternoon kick-off at 13:00. The Blues’ Gaetano Papaleo admitted the side will face tough going once more, before heading into essentially another pre-season due to the imposed hiatus. Kenneth Costantino criticised the month long break in view of the official international break calendar, while hinting at rotations ahead of the encounter against the Blues.
On The Back Of Defeats
Mtarfa will be facing a hungry Hibernians side who will be doubly motivated for a victory. This, following the Paolites’ defeat to Mgarr United last week, as well as them facing prospect of leaping into first place once more following Swieqi United’s win over Birkirkara.
On their part, Mtarfa succumbed to a heavy defeat at the hands of San Gwann, who continue set themselves apart in their path following last year’s upheaval in approach.
Mtarfa’s Gaetano Papaleo had no excuses for his team, “Honestly with San Gwann, very very bad. We were not focused at all, since the first second of the match. I can accept every defeat, but the last one, we weren’t in the pitch. San Gwann deserved the win, one hundred percent.”
Plenty will have been surprised to see the Paolites lose to Mgarr United by a 3 – 0 scoreline. However, the match was not as one sided as the scoreline suggested, with the Paolites unable to capitalise on early opportunities, as well as a glorious chance to get back into the match through a penalty at 2 – 0 just at the start of the second half.
Kenneth Costantino was probed on whether the match was an eyeopener to change approach or if it was a case of the team learning from specific moments in the match.
The Hibernians coach replied, “A loss is always a loss, but not all losses are to be construed equally. I genuinely think that it was a case where we made individual errors and has nothing to do with the approach or the way we implement out principles of play. Of course we need to be consistent as individuals and improve performances as the league is very competitive.”
On The Impact of A Month’s Long Hiatus
The teams will play out today’s match, before stopping from competitive football for a month. This amid staggered international breaks for the U17 team (11 – 19 November), and then the U19 and the senior national teams (25th November to 3rd December).
Questioned about the impact of this on their season, Kenneth Costantino was critical of the extended duration that the entire senior league has been stopped for, “Technically, the international break is just nine days long, for both U19s and senior national teams. Therefore, once again I cannot fathom the reasons why no games are being scheduled for the weekends of the 16th and 23rd November.”
Offering some insight into the plans for the month, Costantino continued, “Having said that, we will use this period to work on physiological aspects and loads which might not be possible to carry out when playing games on a game week periodisation.”
Meanwhile, Gaetano Papaleo’s plan for the Mtarfa team was shortly summed up as, “Another pre-season.”
Match Outlook
Questioned about whether he intends to deploy a defensive approach against the team looking to grab the top spot in the league table, Gaetano Papaleo gave no insight. However, the Mtarfa leading man is clear on the challenge his team faces, “Hibernians is a super team strong and organised. Physically they are perfect. It will be David against Goliath.”
Meanwhile, probed on whether he intends to rotate his team as he faces a team with several young players, Kenneth Costantino suggested that several rotations are already imposed by suspensions for his team.
The Hibernians’ coach was critical of the officiation once more, “We will be forced to make rotations since Joelma (Alves Gabriel) and Amber (Galea) will be suspended. Here, again I need to appeal for consistency and common sense when yellow or red cards are dished out.”
Despite this, Costantino is motivating those stepping into the team to rise to the challenge even if he had planned for more changes. He said, “However, it will be an opportunity for players to step in and show their mettle. Unfortunately, some of the younger players will be unavailable due to injuries which will limit other rotations we had in mind.”
The two teams will initiate the double-header at Dingli Ground, starting at 13:00. The match will be followed by the direct encounter between San Gwann and Lija Athletic, starting at 15:30.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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