by San Gwann will look to respond as they face an injury-hit Birkirkara side at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30). Julian Camilleri stressed focus, mentality, and cohesion after late disappointment against Valletta, while Charlene Zammit underlined the toll on a depleted Stripes’ squad that is still maintaining a search for discipline and a good performance in a match that promises an open contest.
In The Cauldron
San Gwann will be facing Birkirkara with the hope of making the most of a match against a bruised giant, in the wake of an inability to come out on top against Valletta last week.
San Gwann saw three points slashed to just one following two late goals from Valletta last week. Julian Camilleri admitted the disappointment in the performance, “We made too many silly mistakes, lacked concentration, were overconfident and then gave in to panic. We did good work when in possession and the team was cohesive. Despite defeat, we cannot let our heads drop.”
Questioned on the impact of substitutions in view of such a late drop in performance, and in instilling healthy competition within the squad, Julian Camilleri replied, “Sometimes you can, but sometimes you cannot make the rotations in this way. There is only a small group of players who are strictly eligible for the senior teams, and those split between the U21 and the senior league are utilised depending on the minutes played in the youth league. Most of the time, the substitutions are being made in view of tactical tweaks or mostly to freshen up the team to keep up the intensity.”
Meanwhile, Birkirkara’s start against the league leaders looked promising but an injury to Haruhi Sekura inside the opening quarter of an hour provided an additional challenge to an already battered team. Although the side kept Mgarr United at bay to concede only a single goal, the Greens ultimately came away with a 5 – 0 victory against the Stripes.
Questioned on whether she felt the team struggled due to Haruhi Sekura’s injury or whether she felt the team dipped off in the second half, Charlene Zammit began by underlining the strength of the league leaders, “We knew from the start that Mgarr are a strong and well organised team, and I was pleased with how compact we started. However, two days before the game we suffered Julia’s injury which had a negative impact on the team and put extra pressure on the squad.”
The Birkirkara veteran underlined the resulting impact of Sekura’s injury continued to batter an already depleted squad, “Then early in the match, Haruhi was forced out and on top of that we had to substitute the goalkeeper early in the second half due to the 135 minute rule.”
Indeed, questioned about the long-list of injured players, and the need to balance out the squad in the youth and senior competitions, Zammit underscored the need for a deeper player pool for the Stripes, “The lack of squad depth is putting heavy physical load on the players, leading to frustration and lack of competition between them.”
Testing The Resilience Of A Wounded Giant
The Stripes head into the match with a long list of injuries that continues to accumulate. San Gwann will relish the opportunity to find points. The matches between the two teams have offered plenty of goals this season, with an open match on the cards.
However, Julian Camilleri tempered expectations of a victory, though acknowledging the turmoil his adversary is going through, “Everyone faces problems in a season. On the day, the performance depends on many things, the emotional side – the motivation, morale and determination in the team – is crucial and I believe if you have the correct frame of mind you are half way there. However, there is also the technical side, including the individual ability and the team’s cohesiveness in executing the plan.”
Birkirkara have looked to consolidate defensively and will hope to bounce back to points against San Gwann with the potential of widening the gap in fourth place to fourteen points.
Probed about the balance of the match, given San Gwann’s growth against the squad issues that the Stripes are facing, Charlene Zammit began, “San Gwann have definitely improved especially with the technical quality their foreign players bring.”
However, she continued to call on her side to put a disciplined performance in search of the three points, “Our team has to give maximum effort in every game. Against San Gwann we must be disciplined and patient on and off the ball, while also playing with confidence and making the most of every opportunity.”
The two teams will be battling it out at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, with kick-off set at 20:30.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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