by San Gwann recruited Serbian international Andjela Kricak to their senior squad over the summer. Kricak brings experience from her time in Serbia with Spartak Subotica, as well as through having dipped her feet in the footballing culture within the United States of America while pursuing her college studies over there.
She has settled well into life with San Gwann, scoring on her debut in the opening match of the season against Mgarr United, while being an important asset in all the league games since. Kricak is also undertaking coaching duties at the U16 level with the team.
The Sporting Fan sat down with Kricak to discuss her beginnings in Serbia, moving to the US and what brought her to San Gwann FC. We also dove into her love for coaching and building something for the future.
Eleanor Saliba (ES): When did you start playing football and was there someone who inspired you?
Andjela Kricak (AK): It’s actually quite a funny story because I did not really think much about playing football at all and it happened by coincidence. My brother went to play in a new club that opened where I used to live and so I asked my parents to go watch him train because I used to be always hanging out with him. The coach there saw me watching on the side and asked me to join them not just sit there watching. So, I did and he was impressed and said that I should start training too. I was really excited, so I went home and told my parents that the coach thought that I was talented and wanted me to train with them.
At the time I was playing karate, and I was around seven years old, so my parents were not really into the whole idea. I was really sad because the first time I touched the ball I felt a connection with it. Anyway, a week after the coach came to our house to talk to my parents and since that day they’ve been very supportive. So, I would say that the coach was really important for me to be here today playing football. He is older, so he is like a grandfather to me, but we are still in contact regularly to this day.
ES: Can you give a brief overview of your time in Serbia, into eventually signing with Spartak Subotica?
AK: So, I kept training with the boys team for a long time. At one point there was a really good women’s team in my city who had only the senior team and wanted me to join them. However, because they had no youth team, I was training with the seniors and they were basically just letting me dribble past them with no challenge because I was small, so I did not really like that because I was used to being challenged. So, I went back to train with the boys until I was fifteen which was the maximum age I was allowed to do that. However, by that time they had opened a school for girls as well, so I was playing with both girls and boys. By around thirteen or fourteen years old I was playing with the national team of Serbia at the U17 level.
At 15 years old I started to play with the senior team in my hometown and they were at the top of the table in the Serbian league then. However, I was the youngest one and to be honest I really struggled because there was a lot of pressure. I think there was a huge gap between playing at school to playing with the seniors which I struggled with because the sessions were very different and also physically I was small compared to the others. There was one point that I wanted to give up, because the teammates actually were a bit mean to me and did not really support me, maybe because they saw me as someone who could take their place. The coaches were trying some things but it did not really work, maybe the way they were approaching it was wrong. I felt like it was not really my place and actually when those thoughts really started, one girl hit the ball really hard which broke my wrist so I was out for a while, and it was a really bad time.
I went back to speak with the original coach in my hometown and I started doing some individual sessions with him. Day by day, step by step I was growing as a player and as a person. My mentality changed and I grew a lot as a person, became more dedicated, focused and disciplined. This went on until I was around seventeen, by which point a lot of the older players had left and the club went through a lot of change including in the coaching staff. At that point I was one of the leaders in the team and so was focusing on improving myself but also helping the team to grow as much as I could.
After that I got a call from Spartak Subotica and they offered Champions League. So, I was down for that because it was a good opportunity to grow as a player and to go somewhere afterwards abroad.
ES: With Spartak Subotica I understand you won some titles and in 2018 the team progressed until the Round of 32 in the UWCL where you were stopped by Bayern Munich. What are your memories and learnings from that experience?
AK: Yes, with Spartak we won the league twice and the Serbian cup once. It was unfortunate to get Bayern Munich at that stage in a way because maybe we would have gone a bit further. However, in another sense it was amazing to watch them play and how they went about their football. I remember like being in that moment and wondering whether I could get to that level and thinking that I would do whatever it took to improve and see where that would take me. So, I remember from then I really started to work on every tiny detail because those are what really changes the game, and I still do.
ES: The Champions League is quite a big stage and I understand that in some cases players can sometimes be a bit shocked by the whole experience. What was your feeling at the time?
AK: I knew it was big, but I was not scared because I wanted to show up and to prove that I am good. I was trying my best at the time and I was still young so it was a long way to go. I am sure that if I played today I would be a lot better tactically because of course now I have a lot more experience. However, I remember our coach at Subotica was amazing tactically. I remember having hours and hours of meetings. It was tiring but at the same time it was good because we learned a lot. I don’t know if I would have the tactical awareness and game understanding that I have today if I hadn’t gone there. So, I learned a lot at Spartak Subotica and I really appreciate that time. It was a good experience.
ES: Why did you to choose to go to the United States?
AK: So, I got a scholarship to go to college in the US. I was studying at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) for four years, which was amazing and a good journey. I learned a lot because their style of football is very different to the European style of football. As I said, I still maintained the relationship with my original coach and with each semester he was telling me that I was growing not just as a player but also as a person. I don’t know how much I was growing each day, but if I look back to when I was fifteen I would say that there was definitely a lot of growth to today.
ES: How do you assess the experience of playing college football?
AK: It’s definitely different but it is something that I would recommend to anyone who can go to do it. Being a student athlete is amazing, because you’re not just going to school. Firstly, you get to meet a lot of people from across the globe, so you learn a lot. Also, playing against other colleges, it feels like a professional league in the sense that you get everything as if you are a professional. The way that they take care of you, they are basically preparing you to be able to go pro. However, you also get the opportunity to get a degree to be something you want to be. I mean being there you really get to understand what they mean by the land of opportunity, they don’t just say it without reason the phrase ‘the American dream’. Everything you want to do is possible.
ES: It is an interesting perspective to have experienced Champions League football, then gone to the US and following that decided to come back to Europe. What was your thought process at the time?
AK: Yeah, so I really liked it in the US and there was an opportunity for me to coach there too. However, I wanted to really give being a professional footballer a shot and also I knew that women’s football was growing a lot in Europe. So, I wanted to come back and give it a shot here because I did not want to grow old and have regrets. This is basically step one to try to bring something new here, for me to improve but to also help the team around me to grow on the field. The fact that I am also coaching at U16 level, while being a player, gives me a lot of satisfaction.
ES: What attracted to you join San Gwann in Malta?
AK: Well, firstly I have family over here in Malta. So, I actually came her first on a vacation and I was just looking for a team that I could train with while I was here and it just happened to be San Gwann. They were really welcoming even though I was not really their player. I appreciated a small gesture like that a lot. I was speaking with the coaching staff and I thought what they were trying to do was interesting and that I wanted to help them to get to where they want to be.
I did actually go back to Serbia but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to come back and help out. I knew it was going to be a tough goal and that there will be challenges but I love that part. I guess I love making my life hard! (laughs) It is a long-term goal to grow as a team and if I can help in making a little bit of difference, I will do that because I think if I grow old and look back and they make that goal it would be something to be proud of, to have been involved in the making of that.
ES: You scored the penalty on your debut against Mgarr United, in what was a tight encounter that looked like it was heading to a draw for long periods. Since then, the team has had tough outings against two other strong sides in Birkirkara and Swieqi United. What were your impressions from these first matches with the team, and also the calibre of opponents?
AK: Yeah we started strong, but to be fair we did not have the full squad against Birkirkara and Swieqi United, because we had quite a few injuries. I know that a lot of young players had to play in positions that they are not used to, and I know that it was a lot of pressure as a young player, and I understand that a bit. However, I am proud of the young players and the progress that they are making. They are working hard and giving their best. The coaching staff is also doing their best and I think slowly but surely we are getting better, step by step.
With regards to the opponents, I like playing against good teams because I think it helps me go to a new level. I would say Birkirkara have their own style and have really good tactics. I could read the game but could not catch everything because they do it well. So even though they won the match I did enjoy playing against the team. Swieqi are really technical and good at moving the ball around. That’s basically European style of football so I was also impressed by that as well.
ES: We’ve seen you play in midfield, protecting the defence but also as a playmaker in the number ten role. Is that creative role something you mostly enjoy about your game and do you feel it is your most natural position?
AK: I love playing as a number ten, as an attacking midfielder because I like to be the playmaker. It allows me to be creative and gives me freedom in the position. Being the defensive midfielder is a big responsibility. If the opponent passes the first line of defence (which is the attack), then you are responsible to stop them from getting further toward the goal. So you need to stop them from going into the attack and also find a way to help your team go on the offensive. In a way everything starts from that position.
I played both those roles in college and I would say I like the attacking role more, but playing the holding midfielder role also brings a toughness in me which I enjoy as well.
ES: Besides playing, you are also coaching the U16 side. It’s been a mixed bag in terms of results (a draw, loss and a win) but what has been your experience with the team so far in terms of developing the future squad of San Gwann?
AK: At the beginning it was tough because I became the coach right before the season started. So I did not have a lot of time to get to know the girls well and I also didn’t know how they were going to react to me as their coach. However, I was trying to bring something new to them and day by day we were learning about each other. We were basically helping each other to adapt quickly, me as a coach and them as players to adopt to style of play that I would like them to play. From what I’ve seen, if they continue working like they have been doing it should be a positive season to build something good. I really think we feel like a family, the energy is amazing. Every time I come as a coach, I am really happy to see them smile at the field, they are playing with joy. That is what I want to see, that they are really enjoying it and that is the most important thing as a kid.
ES: What would you say are your objectives as a player and as a coach for the season?
AK: I think as a player within the senior team, it is about improving and I think we are doing a good job to improve step by step. Maybe we can make big differences and grow toward the end of the season. However, it is something that we have just started and these things also take time. The important is to give our best each day and not give up on that long-term goal.
As a coach, I want the players to firstly to enjoy the game until the end. Of course, I love winning and to challenge, but at the end of the day I want my players to enjoy the game even if it is tough. At that age the aim I think is to build a healthy environment.
Quick Fire Questions:
- Score or Assist? – Assist
- Hiking in the mountains or boat trip on a lake? – Hiking in the mountains (definitely)
- Podvarak (baked dish with sauerkraut, onion, garlic and meat) or Burek (baked pastry with cheese or meat filling)? – Podvarak
- Favourite football player? – Messi
- Favourite football coach? – Pep Guardiola and Xavi, maybe even more Xavi because I loved him as a player and really liking what he is doing as a coach.
- A place you would suggest to visit in Serbia? – Zlatibor and Kopaonik Mountains, Tara Lake is nice for rafting or Tara mountain for hiking. Cities I would say Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica is really nice too and even my hometown is quite nice, Krusevac.
- Dribble player 1v1 or play 1-2 with teammate? – I love both, but it depends on the situation. I like tiki-taka because I like Barcelona, but if I don’t have the chance to pass the ball then I would dribble.
- If you were not a football player, which sport would you play? – Karate
- Dream stadium to play in? – Nou Camp
- Dream team to compete against? – Barcelona
The Sporting Fan would like to thank Andjela Kricak for her time to be able to bring you this feature and look forward to seeing more of her in the Assikura Women’s League. San Gwann FC will continue their league commitments this Saturday 14th October against Mtarfa FC at 15:00 (Dingli Ground).
Images: Lara Schembri (unless otherwise stated)
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