by Swieqi United finished off their Assikura Women’s Youth League commitments with a 2 – 1 victory against Valletta, before lifting the trophy on Wednesday. Mandy Debono discussed the title defence in view of the transitions in the squad, the challenges at the U19 category and the road to improve development.
Standing Out & Pushing Forward
Swieqi United ended their Assikura Women’s Youth League commitments with a 2 – 1 victory against Valletta, before lifting the trophy for the second consecutive year running in the U19 category.
The side dominated the league once more, with seventeen victories and just one defeat across the campaign. The goals flowed, while the team managed twelve clean sheets in their bid for the title. The goal difference confirmed the dominance, with the side finishing on a goal difference of 52, with Valletta being the closest at 17.
Swieqi United’s coach, Mandy Debono, discussed how this achievement faired against the ambitions the side had at the beginning of the season. “Our aim was to win, but also to make sure that the more experienced players within this category are prepared for the senior league, while also helping others to make the step from U16 to U19. I think we’ve reached these aims.”
Questioned about the competitiveness in the league in the face of the final tallies, Mandy Debono replied, “I think the table suggests that we dominated, but in truth there were close results. I think we earned this title based on consistency which I think was one of the more crucial factors.”
On Building Squads & Maintaining Motivation
As noted above, despite maintaining the league title, there was plenty of change in the team from that which won the same honour last year. A back-bone of players making the step to regular senior players, such as captain Tammy Falzon, Michaela Cachia, Ema Micallef and Karima Abdulai was retained, but with reducing minutes.
There were also new faces who became regulars in the U19 team including Amy Portelli and Tea Kimamo who steadily made the transition from U16 level. Additionally, Swieqi United brought in Macedonian Eva Koneva and Ghanaian Asana Alhassan, both of whom were instrumental in achieving this league title.
Mandy Debono weighed in on the impact of such a diversity in players, including those more acquainted with Swieqi United’s philosophy from younger ages, to those coming into the club for their first season.
“I think these factors all help the team to grow and become more dominant. I think this combination helps the league improve and this diversity should be embraced by teams.”
As positive results racked up and the side got a healthy gap to rivals, the league title was within sight fairly early. In fact Swieqi United’s title defence was confirmed as early as 4th February, ironically on the night they were dealt the only defeat by Hibernians. However, having racked up the points throughout the campaign, results elsewhere confirmed their title nonetheless.
However, questioned about the motivation in the team to maintain the positive streak of results, Mandy Debono discussed the importance of the more experienced members, “It’s true winning the league so early challenged the motivation in the team. However, there were also more experienced players who were determined to push the squad to stay focused. This also including the fact that there is still the Assikura Women’s Youth Knockout to play for.”
The Transition
While silverware is the ultimate reward in this league for a season, the overarching ambition should be for players to make the best transition into senior team football, where competition only gets tougher.
The U19 league was under the spotlight for various reasons, including fixturing schedules, squad numbers and changing setups. While the league itself requires a deeper discussion, the head coach of the champion side was asked what she believes is the crucial element to ensure players make this transition effectively.
Mandy Debono replied, “Investment in the technical side is important to ensure that players improve their fitness, technique, tactical understanding and also their mentality as a player. Swieqi have worked over time to build these elements, where our teams have a physical trainer, match analysts and psychological talks to address player growth from a holistic perspective.”
While the discussion of how the transition can be better addressed is expected to ramp up as the end of season approaches, the U19 teams will first set sight on the final piece of silverware, the Assikura Women’s Youth Knockout.
Swieqi United will sit out the first round, with an aim to defend also this title from last year. The first ties will be played on Tuesday 29th April as Mtarfa face Birkirkara at the Charles Abela Stadium (20:15), while Hibernians take on Lija Athletic at Mgarr Ground (20:15). Wednesday 30th presents the tie between Valletta and San Gwann (20:15) at Dingli Ground.
Lead Image: Michael Azzopardi (Swieqi United)
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