by Valletta and Mtarfa will meet at Dingli Ground at 16:30, to end the Assikura Women’s League weekend matches before teams split for the international break. Valletta seek to continue their winning form against an Mtarfa side ready to back up last week’s defensive display.
In Search Of Improvement
Valletta and Mtarfa come into the encounter from the opposite ends of the group. Valletta are yet to drop a point in the final phase and managed their strongest victory over Lija Athletic last time out.
City took huge leap towards victory in the span of ten minutes, which team manager Chris Vella suggested was testament to the team’s positive response to losing an initial lead, “I believe it was more of a change in mentality. Against Lija we dominated the game but missed quite a few chances, especially at the beginning of the match. Once Lija got the equaliser I think it triggered the players to push more and be more clinical.”
On the other hand, Mtarfa are still yet to find their first point, but the team managed a much improved result against San Gwann last week, limiting the score to just 1-0. For a team that has been plagued by big defeats, the result is one which injects belief.
Asked to assess the performance in which the team was severely limited in numbers and also fielding some very young players, coaches Christian Curmi and Brandon Spiteri responded, “Not only a young goalkeeper, but we also fielded three very young players from the U16 squad, all born in 2008. We are very happy with the performance considering we had limitations. The team worked hard and were tactically disciplined. Our key players were marking their target players and they also did very well.”
Match Expectations
Valletta head into the match having won all their encounters against the Blues and yet to concede a goal against them. City have been highly offensive and several players have been getting on the scoresheet.
Questioned about this generation of a more global threat rather than one or two front-running strikers, Chris Vella attributed it to the rotation, “A lot of times the lineup and formation is dictated by the fixture congestion. However, the players are doing an amazing job of adapting and in fact it shows on the score sheet. I wouldn’t consider the fact that different players are scoring as a threat but more of a compact team effort and flexibility.”
On the other hand, the fact that the team is yet to lose a point in the final phase can be detrimental when facing a team that is actively making strides to surprise teams with a different approach. At the same time, Valletta have a streak to lose and Mtarfa have everything to win.
Questioned about guarding against complacency, Valletta’s Chris Vella replied, “Unfortunately the way the league has been split this season makes it very repetitive for us, as we are playing the same three teams week-in-week out and a bit of complacency tends to creep in.” Despite this, Vella warned of Mtarfa’s improvement, ” In the last few rounds Mtarfa have shown marked improvement and surely they cannot be taken lightly, especially since we’re expecting a very defensive approach from them.”
Meanwhile, the Blues will still be limited in goal-threat due to the continued injury of Estelle Borg. Probed about the youngster, the coaches replied, “Estelle is indeed a huge loss for the team, she is very talented. The physio will be assessing her condition and we hope to see her back soon.”
Meanwhile, probed about trying to get a something against the most dominant team in the group, the coaches replied, “Valletta are strong indeed, we go for the match with the same mentality of the past two matches. We have nothing to lose after all. We want the team to go give their all and enjoy playing football.”
The two teams will take to the pitch in Dingli Ground at 16:30, following the clash between Lija Athletic and San Gwann (14:00).
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
