by Mgarr United and Hibernians promise another thrilling encounter tonight at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30). Both coaches will be seeking their first wins since taking over as they strive to push Birkirkara and Swieqi United.
On The Hunt For A Win
The two teams come into the match on the back of defeats to Birkirkara and Swieqi United. Despite the missed three points, the new coaches appear to be happy with the progress of the teams.
Mgarr United’s Patrick Curmi spoke of the defeat to Birkirkara, “Despite the outcome mirroring our previous match against Birkirkara, I observed a significant improvement in our team’s performance. The scoreline doesn’t fully capture the progress we made, particularly in terms of the balance and coordination between our defence and midfield. A bit more focus in crucial moments, and I believe we could have secured a point. Overall, I’m satisfied with the team’s collective performance and the strides we are making.”
Things may have panned out differently had Brenda Borg’s equalising goal stood. Curmi was probed about the effects of having such instances captured on footage more regularly to help the women’s game improve from every aspect. This in relevance to the fact that currently at least half of the games in the women’s league are not captured on video in any way.
He weighed in, “While the disallowed goal due to an incorrect offside call was disappointing, it underscores the broader issue of decision-making in matches. Having our games broadcasted and live-streamed is crucial, not only for a fairer assessment of such incidents but also for the overall advancement of women’s football. It provides a platform for thorough analysis and improvement. However, it’s important to remember that errors are part of the human aspect of the game, and we, as a team, must learn and grow from these experiences.”
Meanwhile, Kenneth Costantino saw his team fall to a slim defeat against Swieqi United. However, the coach is still happy with the progress of his team, “Besides the result, I think we were convincing. I was more happy with the first half where I think we did not feel the lack of one of our most important players, Nicole Sciberras, too much. I think that speaks highly for the team itself.”
The coach rejected the idea that the team did not react well to going down a goal, but rather acknowledged that the players are adapting to new ways, due to the change in leadership, while being in a crucial stage of the season. “The biggest issue we have is that all teams are going in full force and we have to start doing things in a different way during the last part of the season.”
Meanwhile, probed about Sarah Urpani’s positive performance against Swieqi United in a more central role and whether this could be a continuation even with the return of Nicole Sciberras, Kenneth Costantino said, “I think all the girls had a good game, including Sarah Urpani, so I don’t think it’s fair to single out one member of the team because I think the team did well to work to our game-plan. Having said this, with Nicole back there will be changes to our team, which is positive because it allows us to field players in their more favoured positions.”
Match Expectations
The fixtures between the two teams have been thrilling affairs, with plenty of goals at either end. Hibernians come into it having won one, while the teams drew the other. The victory enables Hibernians to head into the match the better in the standings, with a five point lead over the Greens.
Asked whether the coaching changes at both dugouts could make much of a difference, Mgarr United’s Patrick Curmi said, “Our approach to every match is centred on continual improvement and striving for victory. The upcoming game against Hibs is no exception. While we acknowledge their recent changes, including a new coach, and their ability to score, our focus remains on our performance and tactics. A win is always the objective, but it’s essential to concentrate on playing our best game, adapting our strategy as needed, and maintaining our trajectory of growth.”
His counterpart, Kenneth Costantino, was of a similar frame of mind, “I’m not concerned by the changes in coaching staff because we don’t have control over this. I focus on what we can control, which is the performance we can bring to Mgarr United. Hopefully, it will be similar to that which we had against Swieqi, because as I said I was happy with many aspects. Perhaps with Nicole Sciberras back into the team we will also boosted in confidence and it allows us to play everyone into their more accustomed positions.”
On the other hand, the coach rejected that the previous results against the Greens, as well as their recent form make this any easier for his team, “Just because we did not lose the previous matches to Mgarr United, just as we had done against Swieqi before, it does not mean that this is a guarantee for the next game. We have to earn every game through hard work and maybe a bit of luck, which we didn’t have last week.”
Meanwhile, the two teams contrast in their knack for winning games through set-pieces. Mgarr United’s coach suggested that this is something the team is looking to improve on. He said, “Acknowledging the significance of set-pieces in football, it’s an area we are actively working to improve. Our recent performance against Birkirkara highlighted this need. We are aware of Hibs’ proficiency in utilising set-pieces, and it is certainly a point of consideration in our game-plan. Our aim is to strengthen our approach in this aspect to not only defend effectively but also to capitalise on these opportunities when they arise.”
On the other hand, probed with a similar question, Kenneth Costantino nodded to the continual improvement of this, while also seeking to create more from open play. He said, “Set-pieces are something that we have always worked on and in fact Keith Gouder is still in charge of all set-pieces. So, now essentially we will be having someone dedicated to this to work with the team on set-pieces, among his other duties, which helps us further. So we will still focus on set-pieces, but we will also be continuing to strive to create more from open play and hopefully finishing what we create.”
The two teams will take to the field at the Victor Tedesco Stadium tonight at 20:30 CET.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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