by Swieqi United and Birkirkara will take to the pitch at the Centenary Stadium at 16:30 in a rare prime-time slot at the stadium for the women’s league. Dorianne Theuma and Billy Mock reflected on the makings of the international break as they balance development and season objectives, while setting sights on a positive afternoon of football.
Reflecting On A Busy International Break
Swieqi United and Birkirkara will return to domestic commitments in an afternoon kick-off at the Centenary Stadium today. The two teams return following a two week hiatus from competitive football, with several of their players called upon at international level at senior and youth level.
The window challenged the Maltese international setup with squashed fixtures for the U19 and U17 teams that were playing friendlies within 48 hours of each other. The senior team had a slightly wider window, but all coaches were pushed on their handling of player condition in view of the 135 minutes rule and the general approach to cater for a player’s ability to handling loading.
The comments from national team coaches were wide-ranging from those attributing the international context to being completely different than the club context, to those suggesting that some clubs’ approach in handling player condition is still primitive and so inapplicable, to comments which praised clubs’ development of players.
Both Swieqi United’s and Birkirkara’s coach were probed on their thoughts of seeing their players perform at international level, as well for their reaction in regards to comments on development.
Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma replied, “We’re very proud to have several of our players representing their national teams at different levels. As a coach, that will always be one of my main goals, to help players reach the point where they can represent their country. It’s a privilege, and our responsibility as a club is to prepare them as best as possible for that opportunity.”
As regards development, Theuma drew on the efforts made by Swieqi United, “At our club, we strive to maintain professional standards within an amateur setup. We invest heavily in our players’ overall development, technically, physically, and mentally, as well as in their recovery and wellbeing, having all the core resources to do so. Personally, I try to give them the kind of support and guidance I felt was missing during my own playing career.”
The Malta all-time appearance holder and top-scorer called on the responsibility for all involved to do their bit to contribute effectively to raise Malta’s name in the game, “When players step up to the international stage, the level is naturally higher. It’s up to all of us in Maltese football to keep closing that gap. From a club perspective, that means continuing to invest in our players and provide them with the best possible environment to grow. And from an Association perspective, keep building on the lessons learned from each season and continue taking steps forward for the overall development of the game”, she finished.
Birkirkara’s Billy Mock also gave his take, “Obviously, I am happy to see so many of our young players selected to represent our country. My thoughts also mean that the future is bright at Birkirkara. I think it’s time to work more hand in hand with the national coaches. The cooperation between the clubs and the Association must be considered more in the future.”
The Utility Of The Break At Club Level
As highlighted above, both coaches had several core players away on international duty. The two gave further insight into how they utilised the time with the players who remained with the club.
Dorianne Theuma gave insight into the efforts inside Swieqi United, “The international break is always a bit challenging for any coach, especially when it comes to keeping everyone focused and motivated. Over the past two weeks, we brought in a few players from the U16s to train with the senior team. I was really pleased with their attitude and effort, they trained hard and showed great energy.”
Giving insight into the nuances of the challenges behind talent development, she finished, “It was also a valuable opportunity to assess the level of our younger players, and I hope we’ve managed to pass something on to them. Something extra to motivate them and give them a target to aim for in the future.”
Billy Mock gave insight into the training sessions held to alleviate the impact of a smaller player pool, “We still utilised the training sessions well with the players we had at our disposal, irrespective of the position in the league. We used a lot of small-sided games in our training, as if we had a full squad with good tempo and intensity. It’s just the end game that was not normal because of lack numbers. I think we still managed well, and all the players seemed to enjoy it, too.”
A Perfect Slot For An Afternoon Of Football
The match will enjoy one of the prime slots associated with modern football in reaching its objective as a form of entertainment. It will also be played at one of the most well set up stadiums in Malta, the Centenary Stadium.
Swieqi United go into it with the aim of maintaining the six-point gap to leaders Mgarr United, while trying to extend the gap to Birkirkara. On the other hand, a win for the Stripes would enable them to get closer to the Owls and possibly open the door for Hibernians to carve out a unique spot at second place (should the latter win their encounter against Valletta this evening).
Assikura Women's League - Standings
Considering Mgarr United’s unbeaten charge at the top, Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma was asked whether a win or a win with a big scoreline makes any difference for the defending champions this afternoon.
She replied, “The main focus is simply winning the three points. The scoreline is secondary, what matters is winning and maintaining our momentum. We know Birkirkara have strengthened their squad since we last faced them, adding more foreign players, so we expect a tough game. Our mindset is to stay focused, disciplined, and do whatever it takes to secure the win.”
Questioned if he believes this is a must-win fixture or whether Birkirkara’s objectives have changed given the situation, Billy Mock began, “No matter the placing in the table, we train and play to win. We all know that Birkirkara is in a transition period and that we have some good material in our young teams.”
However, the Birkirkara coach confirmed bigger woes plague the side, “Recently we also lost our goalkeeper Janice (Xuereb), who might out for the whole season. This was a big blow for the team. Now our goal is defended by a sixteen-year old keeper, Julia (Zarb). We all know that Julia has a very bright future ahead. Still, all our players and staff encouraged Julia, and we still go down and try and play our normal game.”
Despite this, Mock is encouraged by the side’s recent football with an ultimate goal placed away from silverware this year, “In fact, against Hibernians, we had three very good occasions to go ahead, before Hibs netted their first goal. But overall, I am happy with the team, and we can only improve. Still, the club’s main objective is to keep introducing young players for a solid future.”
The two teams will initiate the Assikura Women’s League double-header at 16:30 at the Centenary Stadium. Valletta and Hibernians will meet at the Charles Abela Stadium at 19:00, following a late fixture change.
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
