by Birkirkara and Mgarr United will meet again tonight as they kick-off the top-four Round 3 fixtures at the Centenary Stadium (20:15). Jose’ Borg and newly appointed interim Patrick Curmi discuss the learnings from last week’s encounter and the effect of TVM Sports+’s broadcast on the women’s game.
Two Matches & Managerial Changeover
Birkirkara come into the match the happier of the two having defeated Mgarr United in their previous two encounters this season. The last encounter was just six days ago, where the Stripes emerged with a 4-0 victory, with the rumours of a change in the Greens’ technical staff floating in the air.
Asked about how it all went down, including facing a team under new management, and the onus on the upcoming match, Birkirkara’s coach Jose’ Borg said, “We had a very good performance which I think was reflected in the result. A 4-0 against Mgarr United is a very good result. In regards to Mgarr, obviously new management brings new motivation to the team and in the match we already saw some changes in the setup. I expect things to get better for Mgarr in this game and do not think that last week’s result has a direct effect on this week’s game.”
Meanwhile, Patrick Curmi was thrusted into the league against the toughest challenge, considering Birkirkara’s leadership in the table and their dominance in past years. Speaking about the general chaos of preparing for the match, Curmi said, “Well considering that the change in management happened just days prior to the game, the interim coaching staff had only two sessions to prepare. What I saw was a determined group trying their best to obtain something out of that game.”
Probed about affording the Stripes acres of space, and whether he deems this to be exposing a lack of pace in the squad or errors in positioning or system, Curmi responded, “During the first half we were tactically a balanced group and permitted only two shots on goal against us. We also had two very good scoring opportunities before we conceded the first goal. The second goal was unfortunate, very late in the half, where we might have lost that concentration. In the second half, we struggled to keep pace with them, especially when we lost Joelma through injury. In my opinion rather than pace, space and movement, it was more a mental issue which we will be addressing in the weeks and months to come.”
Curmi will take to the pitch as the officially appointed interim coach for the first time tonight, following Tuesday’s announcement from the Greens. He was reluctant to reveal whether the team will be adopting a more defensive stance, but seems to be fully embracing an underdog philosophy, “We have carefully prepared our strategy for this upcoming game. We know it will be a difficult game, however we also know that the pressure is all on our opponent. We will do our best in present situation, with a positive approach to the game. In a few words, we do not have anything to lose, but to gain.”
Injury Assessments & Potential Debut
Although the Stripes announced the signing of Nanako Kobayashi on the morning of the previous match, the defender made no appearance in the line-up. Jose’ Borg was coy about her potential appearance against the Greens this time round simply stating, “Things are building up. We should be seeing Nanako in the 20-player line-up for this weekend.”
On the other hand, Patrick Curmi’s team featured Joelma Alves Gabriel as their striker, while Fernanda Peinado was absent from the line-up. Asked about the decision of opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation without a natural striker, worsened by Peinado’s absence at the spear of their attack, Curmi commented, “Fernanda could not play the match and the game was too close to change anything. We opted for the best solution by playing our top scorer as our main target player. Unfortunately she got injured too. As regards Fernanda we are still assessing her situation.”
Increased Visibility
The match will be a unique one this season, in the sense of it being broadcast on the local station TVM Sports+. The two coaches were asked to provide their thoughts on this, in relation to the growth of the women’s game.
Birkirkara’s Jose Borg welcomed the pick, “I was very pleased to hear that TVM Sports+ is broadcasting a women’s football match. It’s very good for the publicity of the women’s game. I’m pleased that they will be broadcasting what should be a good match. Hopefully, both us as Birkirkara and Mgarr United can have a performance that will not delude, but rather entertain spectators who will be watching from home. Hopefully, we can make the Birkirkara supporters who will be watching from the comfort of their sofas at home happy with our performance as well.”
His counterpart Patrick Curmi also voiced the importance of this decision, “Women’s football has seen great improvement lately. Apart from exciting league matches, the qualification of the National Team helped a lot in this regard. Broadcasting games on television will definitely help to continue advertising this game. It will also give that extra stimulus to young girls to believe that football is also their sport.”
Whether you’ll be making your way to the Centenary Stadium, or watching from your home on TVM Sports+, the match begins at 20:15 CET.
Tonight will be a double-header in the Assikura Women’s League as in parallel there will also be the bottom-four match between Mtarfa and San Gwann at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30 CET).
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[…] played at the Victor Tedesco Stadium. In parallel there will also be the top-four encounter between Birkirkara and Mgarr United at the Centenary Stadium (20:15), which will also be broadcast on TVM […]