by Lija Athletic will welcome Mtarfa at the Victor Tedesco Stadium tonight (20:30). Jethron Azzopardi’s side will be chomping at the bit for a chance to equal San Gwann’s points tally. However, Mtarfa’s Christian Curmi and Brandon Spiteri are determined to get their team within a shot for their first points this season.
On The Rise
Lija Athletic put together a brilliant performance to earn a victory over San Gwann last time out, which keeps their hopes of sixth place on track. Having been steadily on the rise, the team managed to convert offensive action into goals and paired it with a solid defensive display. Jethron Azzopardi praised the side for the display, “The team performed really well and played a good tactical discipline game. As a coach it definitely was a proud moment watching them play.”
Right in the thick of it was also debutant Ylenia Azzopardi, who despite having had limited time to work with the team seemed right at home in the middle of the park. Asked about the youngster, Azzopardi said, “Ylenia was the missing link we needed in midfield and she was welcomed by the team from her first training session with us.”
On the other hand, Mtarfa succumbed to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the leaders of the ‘Bottom Four’, Valletta. However, the team had an improved showing in the first half, which the newly appointed coaching duo, Christian Curmi and Brandon Spiteri felt perhaps merited the team a more respectable outcome, “During last Saturday’s game against Valletta the team performed very well. I dare to say that the end result wasn’t merited especially after a strong defensive performance the players gave. Of course one cannot underestimate the abilities of Valletta considering that they are first in the bottom-four section.”
Match Expectation In Wake Of Coaching Change
Lija Athletic go into the fixture knowing that they can equal San Gwann if they can grab a second win on the bounce following the latter’s narrow defeat at the hands of Valletta yesterday. The fact that they won both previous encounters against Mtarfa will give them an extra boost.
However, Jethron Azzopardi will have to contend with the changes that a coaching replacement brings. It is something that the coach is well aware of but it seems this will not inflict any specific changes in his approach. He said, “Both coaches of Mtarfa are well prepared and the Mtarfa team looked better in the pitch against Valletta. We will approach the game as we always do.”
On the other hand, Mtarfa’s coaching duo are aware of the ascendancy of Lija Athletic, “Every game is different, one cannot compare one game to the other. From our previous encounters with Lija one can say that they are strong team and have experienced players which is a benefit on the pitch. Therefore, one cannot underestimate them. From our end we have been trying our best during training sessions to be both physically and mentally prepared for the game.”
As to whether they will be seeking to limit the scoreline in search of earning a point or go on the offensive for their first three, Mtarfa’s coaches replied, “We will try to take a mixed approach and try to both stay compact and prevent the opponents from scoring, while trying to be offensive when possible as well.”
Tactical Swaps & Long-Term Development
The match against San Gwann did not only feature the debut of Azzopardi, but a changed midfield. In fact, accompanying her and captain Simone Buttigieg was Rachel Mifsud, who shifted from the right-back position. Probed about whether the change in position Azzopardi replied, “With our limitations in squad depth, as a coach you have to find solutions. With experienced players such as Mifsud, you can adapt a player in other roles and work with different tactics.”
In fact, the team had to deal with the unavailability of Amy Galea Gingell who was forced off the pitch midway through the match against Valletta two weeks ago. Probed about her return, the coach provided a positive update on the recover but indicated that she will still have to sit out the next match.
Meanwhile, Mtarfa enjoyed the return of a number of key players in the match against Valletta, including Rebecca Zammit while Dorienne Grech returned to her more accustomed goalkeeping position. However, the return of Angele Fenech appeared short-lived as the player had to be substituted off following taking a knock in the opening half. Despite this, the player was on the field in Wednesday Assikura Women’s Youth League match, suggesting that she could be available for selection once more.
One aspect that has plagued the Blues has been a number of recurring injuries which severely hit the squad depth. While the team have never shied away from going full force for a tackle, at times the lack of strength and stamina to do so throughout a match has been visible.
However, asked about plans to implement regimes to improve this, Mtarfa’s coaches alluded to the commitments of players in both U19 and senior league being the culprit of injuries. They said, “One of our main problems which is resulting in the amount of injuries that we are getting every week is the lack of rest time between youth and senior matches. Being a small club we rely on our young prospects a lot. For example, this week, our youth team played on Wednesday and our seniors team is playing on Friday. Players from the youth team reported for senior training for a recovery session yesterday and today they go again full blast into an intensive match. It is not healthy at all.”
Asked about their plans to develop the team into new levels, Christian Curmi and Brandon Spiteri replied, “Keeping in mind we are the underdogs of the league, the aim is to stay united as a team. In fact, we believe that all players in the team have their own positive abilities and it’s important that we focus on those. Other than that, we continue working in the footsteps of Coach Simon (Spiteri) and keep improving by believing in all players. Hopefully, step by step we will manage to reach positive results.”
The two teams will meet at the Victor Tedesco Stadium at 20:30.
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