by Mtarfa and San Gwann are looking to initiate their final phase commitments at the Charles Abela Stadium this evening at 20:30. Mtarfa’s Christian Curmi spoke about the side’s aim to honour matches despite injuries, and credited San Gwann’s growth over the past year. San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri gave his take on seeing his team convert training into reality to earn their first win against Valletta, thoughts on forfeits and his aims for tonight’s match.
Overcoming Rivals & Walking Away
The two teams head into this second phase with vastly different targets. Mtarfa find themselves struggling not only to gain points, but in transitioning to leadership from Simon Spiteri and Christian Curmi, as well as facing a shortage of players. In contrast, San Gwann are fresh off a maiden victory over Valletta.
Mtarfa’s efforts to honour the match against Birkirkara last week went awry just before half-time, as the team went down to ten due to an injury to their goalkeeper, Dorienne Grech. The side never came back out onto the pitch, forcing them to forfeit the second match in a week. This after having forfeited also the Assikura Women’s Youth League (U19) encounter against Swieqi United. The side also forfeited this week’s encounter against Birkirkara in the same Youth League.
Questioned about whether there is confidence that the team can avoid such situations in the future or whether it is an unrealistic expectation from them at this stage, Christian Curmi replied, “Our priority is always to honour our matches. Unfortunately due to illness, exams & injuries we had a limited number of players available and our goalkeeper suffered an injury during the match. This forced us to abandon it to avoid any further problems, since we had players playing who were already carrying minor injuries.”
The positive news is that Dorienne’s Grech injury appears not to be as severe as initially suspected, “She can start training with the squad in around two to three weeks. This is positive since we expected a longer stop.”
Meanwhile, San Gwann had what looked like a perfect start against Valletta, securing all four goals to win the match in the first forty-five minutes. Three of the goals appeared to be perfectly choreographed, and Julian Camilleri confirmed his delight at seeing the team implement the instructions. He said, “I emphasise the importance that we must play how we train. We did not have too much time to prepare for the match itself, but we have been practicing these movements and tactical scenarios for some time and finally we are seeing the fruits of the efforts in training.”
On the other hand, the San Gwann coach was questioned for some insight into the tendency for Nanako Kobayashi to handle the goalkicks for the side, and whether this pertains to an injury for Justyne Caruana or a case of an attribute being developed. He replied, “It’s a bit of both. Justyne is currently not fully-fit and goalkeeping is also an area which we are still developing as a club.”
On The Impact Of Forfeits & Plans To Avoid Them
Mtarfa’s coaching change over the holiday period suggested that the side is still not ready to throw in the towel. However, the forfeit in Simon Spiteri and Christian Curmi’s first match back in charge of the side was arguably the worst start they could have hoped for.
Asked about the long-term plan to address such issues and lift the team, Christian Curmi replied, “Our aim is to strengthen the squad and bolster the numbers. We have had some long-term injuries especially in the goalkeeping sector, one with an ACL injury and the other one with a broken arm. As previously mentioned, our main aim is to honour our matches, but sadly goalkeepers are very hard to find.”
Like Valletta’s Jean Lopes, San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri was probed on his thoughts about the impacts of such forfeits on his team’s aim to develop in this final phase. This, following the two forfeits by Mtarfa and Lija Athletic last week.
Camilleri replied, “Obviously I do not enjoy seeing teams yield walkovers against any opponent, for the simple reason that you learn from every match. Whether you win or you lose is a relevant part of the development process, as long as you are determined to find the lessons in it. However, there circumstances where you have no option. At that point I believe it is also a case of respect from the stronger team to be careful about what to say and how to react to the situation.”
Match Expectations
Mtarfa’s Christian Curmi gave the thumbs up for his team to take to the pitch tonight. Having led Mtarfa against this particular foe last season, Curmi said, “San Gwann have grown stronger this season and managed to acquire some interesting signings. It won’t be an easy match, but we will prepare as best as possible for the encounter.”
Meanwhile, Julian Camilleri was questioned about how he intends to prepare his side, knowing that there is an uneasy feeling about his foe taking to the pitch. The San Gwann coach is heading toward the match with an eye to give some opportunities to fringe players, “I’m looking at the match and believing that we will play. I will give some players who have not had too much playing time this season and give a rest to the ones who are key for the next match.”
The two sides are expected to take to the pitch at the Charles Abela Stadium at 20:30 to initiate their second phase commitments in the Assikura Women’s League.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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