by We are two days away from the first UEFA Women’s Nations League match. The Sporting Fan spoke with the Malta Women’s National Team coach Manuela Tesse on the targets, squad selection and the importance of collective effort.
The Objective
It will be the first set of competitive fixtures for Manuela Tesse since she took over the national team in January. Friendly encounters against Estonia and Luxembourg led to positive results, with the only defeat coming at the hands of FIFA Women’s World Cup debutants Haiti in July.
Questioned about the UEFA Women’s Nations League, Tesse replied, “I think this new competition will be amazing for our team. We will play a balanced game during this tournament, and it is the time for our country to show how women’s football in Malta is improving.” Probed about the aims of the team in the group, the coach was clear, “We do not want to just participate, we want to do our best to try to win our group.”
Malta will be competing in League C, against Moldova, Latvia and Andorra. Of the four teams, Malta enjoys the highest FIFA World Ranking at 86 in the world, where Moldova are the second best-ranked team, at 111.
When asked whether she considers this ranking to be of any relevance in setting Malta as a favourite to top the group, Tesse dismissed this, “When you play an international tournament, it is totally different than playing a friendly. The pressure that the players will feel will be high. For sure we need to be confident and embrace this opportunity. Considering this, I do not want to consider the FIFA World Ranking. We need to be able to show our power on the pitch.”
The Selection Headache
With each international window, coaches face the all too familiar selection headache of choosing those who they believe could do the best job in that window of fixtures. Manuela Tesse’s selections since her start of tenure have often featured a mix of experienced and promising young players.
Questioned about this balance in her selections, Tesse weighed in, “In the eight months that I have been in Malta, I have called up forty-five players. In my eyes, we have a large squad and that helps me so that with each window I choose the twenty-two players who I think are more fit. The call ups have a good mix of experienced and promising players because my job is to think of right now, but to also build the national team for the future.”
Meanwhile, questioned about whether having fast players is key to effectively implement the style of play she would like, to bring results home, the coach gave some insight into her coaching philosophy. Tesse replied, “All coaches want fast players, but I don’t think this attribute is enough to win one game. In my philosophy, I would like my players to be smart, to be able to understand and solve the various situations that happen in a game. I want them to be confident, intense and it is very important that they are creative.”
Bring Your Enthusiasm
There is no doubt that those who have watched matches know that Manuela Tesse brings plenty of energy to the touchline. Off the pitch, Tesse brings just as much passion to the women’s game in Malta. The coach was questioned about how important it is that this translates to also having a strong support for the team, as they embark on a competition that could lift Malta to new levels in the women’s game.
The Italian said, “I was a national team player for a long time and now I am coach. However, most important is that I am the coach of Malta and it is the time to achieve a great goal with our national team because all the players in Malta deserve it.” Speaking of the importance of support the coach said, “We need to switch the mentality from bottom-up, because our players are strong and passionate. I hope there will be a lot of supporters to watch our games because their support will help us raise our performance.”
The Malta national team are currently in Latvia where they will kick-off their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign on Friday 22nd at 15:30. The team will play in Malta against Moldova on Tuesday 26th at the Centenary Stadium, with kick-off at 20:00. Tickets for that match may be purchased online or at the door.
Lead Image: Malta FA
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