by Lija Athletic and Valletta will initiate the second round of the Assikura Women’s League tonight at the Centenary Stadium, starting at 20:15. Jethron Azzopardi & Jean Lopes gave their take on the season’s exploits thus far. With just one point separating the two and a chance to climb up the table, the two coaches are urging a fierce showing from their teams.
Assessing The End To The First Round
Lija Athletic had a hard time out against the league leaders in their final match of the opening round, with Hibernians securing a confident 8 – 0 victory. On the other had, Valletta were held to a 1-1 draw by San Gwann, putting the Yellows on seven points in fifth place, with Lija Athletic following on six points and Valletta on five.
Notwithstanding the strength of Hibernians, Lija Athletic’s Jethron Azzopardi was probed about his thoughts on the team’s ability to grow their presence in such matches. His answer suggested that changes are on the horizon, “We had some important missing players, so we had to rotate and dig in our squad to have a team to challenge the top team in the table at the moment. We are looking to strengthen our squad by January.”
On the other hand, Valletta have struggled to pick up where they left off last year, with the draw against San Gwann putting another marker on how things have levelled out between the three teams.
Jean Lopes rejected that his team showed too much respect to San Gwann, giving a balanced view of the match. He said, “I don’t think it’s about respecting San Gwann too much. We knew that San Gwann is a capable team and one that has become even stronger this season with the arrival of new players.”
The Valletta coach agreed that missed opportunities proved costly for his side, “In the first half we managed to set a good pace in the match and could have made it at least 3-0 before the break. But (as you mentioned), we are still struggling to convert opportunities into goals. We will continue working hard to improve in this aspect.”
Manoeuvring Absences
Lija Athletic’s thin squad was even thinner against Hibernians, with absences of Leanne Micallef, Vanessa Honorio Carneiro, Sarah Caruana and Ylenia Azzopardi. Jethron Azzopardi will welcome the return of the first trio in the match, but the absence will last a bit longer for the youngster, “There will be only Ylenia missing due to a long injury. Hopefully we will have her back by the game against San Gwann.”
Likewise, Valletta continue to operate with key absences, with Jean Lopes probed about the challenges this brings from a tactical perspective in the face of adverse results. The Brazilian did not shy away from the difficult start to the season, “It’s true. This season has been very difficult for us in terms of injuries. I don’t like to blame injuries for sometimes not getting the results we expected, because as a coach I believe a lot in the group. So, even if a key player is injured, I believe that the player who will replace her is fully capable of playing as well as the other player was before.”
Lopes continued by addressing the challenges it brings in cohesion while eyeing an upward trend, “However, of course this affects a little in terms of team consistency. There will always be a lack of that connection, of timing, but as you mentioned, it’s about remaining patient. As a coach, I hope that all the injured players recover as quickly as possible, so that we can always have a strong and complete squad throughout the season.”
Match Expectations
The two teams will initiate the second round almost as close as they were on the opening day and with a point to prove. As noted above, a victory could pile pressure for the loser as well as San Gwann, with the latter facing Birkirkara on Saturday.
Besides the impact on the table, a victory will likely do wonders for both sides who have been on their own separate journeys this season. Lija Athletic started brightly, but appear to have lost the initial spark in recent matches.
However, Jethron Azzopardi dismissed this rhetoric, “Our main aim is to improve our points and goal difference from last year and so far we are on the right track. Second round will be tougher than the first as all teams know how they play. So expectations against Valletta are of a good fight by both teams aiming for points.”
Valletta have on their part struggled to pick up the strong form that they ended last season with. Jean Lopes acknowledged that a victory against Lija Athletic could be the foundation on which they steer their season, “We approach every game as a final. However, this one in particular against Lija could be a turning point for us, as it is the beginning of the second round.”
Reflecting on the opening match, Lopes continued, “As you mentioned, despite having possession of the ball against Lija in the first round, we were unable to come away with the victory. So our focus is to win this match, obviously to move up in the table but also, as you mentioned, to regain some confidence.”
Valletta’s coach is rallying his squad to treat this season on its own merit, “We believe that we are as strong as last year. However, at the end of the day, we need to show how strong we are on the field because the past stays in the past.”
All things are set for the two sides to initiate the second round of the Assikura Women’s League tonight at the Centenary Stadium, with the referee’s whistle initiating proceedings at 20:15. This weekend will be followed by the international break, where Malta will be travelling to Rome to face Italy on the 25th October at the Tre Fontane Stadium, KO 18:15.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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