by Malta will be taking on Belarus at the Centenary Stadium at 19:30 this evening in a first of two friendlies. Manuela Tesse discussed the objective of testing the side against a nation coming from League B, while also answering queries regarding player condition management. New to leading Belarus, Grigorov Vyacheslav Sergeevich is looking impress his philosophy. Haley Bugeja discussed the team’s desire to bring a positive performance, while addressing the differences between playing for Malta and at club level with Inter.
One And A Half Years
Malta will be welcoming Belarus at the Centenary Stadium this evening at 19:30, in a first of two friendlies between the two nations that will be played in this window.
The teams met last in the Visit Malta tournament held in February of last year, with Belarus clinching a late draw. Manuela Tesse was questioned whether she believes this match could feature similar football, or if she believes a change in coach for Belarus, is expected to bring a different feel. “I am not sure, we spoke with our players that we must focus on our game. We must retain our principles and be ready to read the moments in the game to choose the best solution in those moments.”
The late conceded goal against Belarus foreshadowed Malta’s faith in League B matches, with late goals punishing the island in the qualification matches against Bosnia & Herzegovina, resulting in relegation. Manuela Tesse remarked this as a crucial point for wanting to play the friendly against this nation, “Yes, we chose Belarus because since they are coming from League B, like us they are in that middle-ground of working to find stability. So, this game can give us a good picture of where we are and what we need to do.”
Haley Bugeja remarked the importance of the team building on their experience, “I think we had a good performance against Belarus but conceding the late goal to ultimately come out with a draw was in itself a disappointment. It serves as motivation to not only give a good performance, but bring home positive results in both these friendlies. We believe we are ready and hopefully this evening we are able to give our one hundred percent to do this.”
At the other end of the dugout, new Belarussian coach, Grigorov Vyacheslav Sergeevich, is looking to make his mark on the team. In fact, questioned on whether spectators should expect a different match against Malta, he replied, “It’s very hard to predict matches, they are all different. However, certainly coaches bring different philosophies and styles. I can certainly say that Belarus will not be the team that you saw last, because everything is changing.”
Tactical Approach And Selections
Malta’s Manuela Tesse named a mixed selection of twenty-four players in her call-up. Several are returning faces who played significant minutes in the last promotion cycle, while the list also includes a number of players who have continued to do well at club level and could get the opportunity to add minutes of experience at international level.
The selection features no players who regularly alternate between the Maltese youth and senior league, but does feature Haley Bugeja who with Inter is regularly playing weekend domestic matches and European weeknights, a norm at the highest level that football offers.
In this regard, like the youth national coaches, David Attard & Clint Tabone, Manuela Tesse was questioned about whether she intends to manage the forward’s minutes by using the 135 minute rule imposed on club coaches in Malta, or whether she would be using other modern methods.
She replied, “She must play of course, but we will take care to make sure that she gets her rest as well.” Pressed further on whether the minutes will be the only guiding factor for the national team or if there are other tools the setup uses, she replied, “No we don’t use minutes, we have the GPS, we use wellness checks, we have nutritionists who check to make sure our players are in the right condition.”
She continued, “We cannot compare the league to the international level. Until in Malta clubs start to consider environments beyond Malta, we cannot improve at youth or senior level. The limit of minutes is there because we have the same players playing in every category, youth and senior. It is a different context.” Pressed further on whether the limit on minutes is currently needed because analysis suggests that currently not all clubs are equipped to deal with player condition using the other tools mentioned, Manuela Tesse replied, “Of course.”
Questioned about thoughts on whether to expect an experimentation selection or a tried-and-tested one this evening, Manuela Tesse replied, “We want to keep our principles in the first match, but maybe the second one will have some changes.”
Belarus competed at League B during the last UEFA Women’s Nations League cycle, managing three draws against Serbia, Finland and Hungary. However, it was not enough to keep the team in League B.
In this regard, Grigorov Vyacheslav Sergeevich is looking for his team to use these friendlies to get ready for a promotion battle to return to League B status. “We are preparing for League C matches that we will have next year. So while a result is always important, the first objective is to focus on preparation, improving combinations and defining our style of play.”
Celebrating The Characteristics Of A Nation
It’s a friendly match that will pit two nations who will bring their own characteristics, culture and values to the football pitch. Questioned about what makes his team Belarussian, Grigorov Vyacheslav Sergeevich replied, “As Belarussians we have this belief of an internal strength. However, we tend to show it only when something bad happens and we want to prove ourselves. In this match, I want to push my team to show that strength from the beginning and to demonstrate confidence in ourselves not after big moments, but straight away.”
Meanwhile, playing her football away from home, Haley Bugeja was asked about the characteristics that make playing for Malta unique, “It’s different in every aspect, with the national team we are, as you said, coming from a similar background, we’ve all had to fight a lot to get to where we are today. With Inter, it is of course different, there is an extremely professional setup because it is a club of a big name and stature, and of course the players are of a certain quality. So, the two offer me different things, I try my best to enjoy my football with both because they each give me similar emotions but in different contexts.”
The twenty-one year old finished, “I believe they help me to grow not just as a football player, but as a person and every time I come back to play with Malta I am looking forward to bring back with me what I have learned with the club so that we can continued to grow.”
The two nations will take to the pitch at the Centenary Stadium this evening at 19:30. The second friendly will be played on Tuesday at 19:00 at the same venue. Tickets may be purchased online, while both matches will be also live-streamed on the Malta FA Youtube Channel.
Lead Image: Brandon Bonett
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[…] international context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still primitive and so inapplicable, to comments which praised clubs’ development of […]
[…] context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still primitive and so inapplicable, to comments which praised clubs’ development of […]