by Hibernians and Swieqi United will initiate proceedings in today’s double-header at Dingli Ground (14:00). Neck and neck in the table, they seek to bounce back to winning ways and capitalise on yesterday’s draw between Birkirkara & Mgarr United. Hibernians’ coach Kenneth Costantino and Swieqi United’s captain Dorianne Theuma provided thoughts on the encounter, as well as their take on navigating the turn of the new year.
Assessing Narrow Defeats
Hibernians and Swieqi United are separated by just two points in the table, making this an encounter that has plenty to get excited about. Yesterday’s draw between Mgarr United and Birkirkara adds more incentive to grab the three points, with the Owls hoping to cut the gap to five points and solidify second, while Hibernians’ seek to pip themselves into second place and stay within contention.
However, the two teams head into the match also needing to improve on their previous outings, during which they both relinquished three points to Birkirkara and Mgarr United, respectively.
Hibernians displayed an organised opening half, but failed to recover following an own goal, ending the match in a 3-0 defeat. Providing his assessment of the performance, Kenneth Costantino said, “I think we had a very positive first half, in the sense that, besides the own goal, Birkirkara had no shots on goal. It’s true we did not have many shots on goal but had more attacks on their goal. We played a particular game where we did not impose ourselves and push them into certain situations which worked well, but the own goal affected morale. I think perhaps, Nicole Sciberras’ injury was another turning point because we do not have the resources to replace such important players.”
Probed about where he thinks Birkirkara had the edge, Costantino also referred to the psychological aspect of winning such fixtures, “I think Birkirkara have the psychological edge in that they have the belief that they can beat teams and I say this in a positive way. I think it is something that our girls need to develop, that belief that they can get results even against teams like Birkirkara.”
On the other hand, Swieqi United relinquished an early lead and then struggled against a low-block set up by Mgarr United in the second half, ultimately losing the match to Mgarr United by 3-2.
Asked about overcoming these challenges, which have continued to rear their heads for the Owls, captain Dorianne Theuma said, “As you said we are struggling during the second half of games and are paying the price. Playing in different sized pitches also affects our style of play. It’s very hard to fix certain things overnight, but we are aware of these issues, and are physically and mentally addressing them daily during training.”
On The Switches In Coaches
One aspect that has dominated headlines since the start of the new year has been the changes which have occurred across the league in the coaching staff. While some have been permanent departures, other have involved changes in responsibilities.
Kenneth Costantino and Dorianne Theuma are two protagonists who bring years of experience in the domestic women’s game. They were asked to provide their perspective on the fact that more than half the teams in the league have had some element of this.
Costantino weighed in, “I’ve been involved in women’s football for over twenty-six years on and off, I’ve never seen so many changes within the technical staff. I think it means a number of things. Certainly the game has grown so there are more pressures, be it financial, result-oriented pressures and sometimes there are personal reasons. Possibly there are also things within club structures which are still not functioning as they perhaps should. Certainly, every case has to be seen on its own merits because there are many reasons why the changes happen, so one cannot put a blanket statement.”
Swieqi United’s captain Dorianne Theuma agreed with Costantino on the rarity of the situation, “I think this is the first time since I have been playing where half the coaches in the women’s league did not end the season. I’m no one to judge and unfortunately these things happen. I’m sure each club handled each situation to the best of their abilities.”
Asked how he has navigated a focus toward the collective goals, since taking the head coaching position at Hibernians, Hibernians’ Costantino replied, “From our end I truly think there is a sense of togetherness, which I think has grown over the past weeks. We’re all there together, coaches and players, fighting for every single play and that is a positive thing. Results are influenced by many things, injuries, suspensions, players having a bad patch and more. You need to study why games are lost and go at it again together to try to see what can be done better next time.”
Meanwhile, asked to provide her approach as a captain to help the squad stay focused and pull together through tough times, Dorianne Theuma replied, “It’s not easy at all to stay focused. All games are direct encounters, so there is no room to breathe. Luckily, we are a very close group of players who always tend to show up when times get tough. We are giving our hundred and one percent in training and more determined than ever to end the season on a positive note and enjoy playing the game we love.”
Match Expectations
Kenneth Costantino rejected that Swieqi United’s previous result or Mgarr United’s approach against them has bearing on his team’s chances of winning the match. Looking at the final stage of the season following last week’s results, Costantino said, “At this stage we need to focus on what we do, how we play and our results. We will keep fighting for every point because this is in our DNA.”
The coach also alluded to the headache of doing without one of the team’s focal players, Nicole Sciberras, who is confirmed to be out for a number of weeks after suffering a fractured wrist in the match against Birkirkara. “We will go into the match with the mentality that we have had in all other games against Swieqi, while trying to find a way of playing within our abilities and adjust accordingly without Nicole. This will need to be a longer-term solution since the injury is a more long-term one. However, we still have solutions that can be adapted and I believe we can hold our own on any given day.”
Likewise, asked about overcoming Hibernians’ tendency to be compact at the back and incisive with their counter-attacks, Dorianne Theuma acknowledged the strengths of Hibernians but backed the work ethic and unity in the squad to rise up to the challenge. She said, “Hibernians are a very tactically organised team. We have to match their tactical discipline in order to try and exploit their weaknesses. However, our ultimate goal is to improve our own performance and keep on building from previous games. As I said, I am surrounded by great teammates who are very united and no matter the circumstances, always show up for training ready to give their one hundred percent.”
The two teams will kick-off today’s proceedings at Dingli Ground, at 14:00. The match will be followed by the bottom four encounter between San Gwann and Mtarfa, starting at 16:30.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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