by Malta’s U15 Women’s National Team completed their experience in the UEFA Women’s U15 Development Tournament, under the direction of coach Clint Tabone, earlier in the week. The Sporting Fan spoke with Tabone about the performances, lessons learnt and areas identified for development.
The Performances
The development tournament pitted Malta against the hosts Albania, the Faroe Islands, and Luxembourg. Coach Clint Tabone was asked about the thoughts of the overall performance following a win through a penalty shootout against Albania and two defeats at the hands of Faroe Islands and Luxembourg.
He spoke about the experience gained by the youngsters, “First of all I want to mention that this was the first time these young players had the opportunity to play in this level of football and I am very proud that all the players gave their all against very strong opponents. This was a great learning experience for our young girls and I’m sure that it will boost their confidence.”
Assessing The Performances
The coach was probed further about the 5-0 loss to the Faroe Islands, which was the first game that the Maltese and the Faroese played. The Faroe Islands appeared to command possession and had power going forward. Considering this one-sided match performance against a team that hails from an independent archipelago of just around 50,000 people, The Sporting Fan asked the coach about the elements identified for improvement to improve the team’s performance going forward.
Clint Tabone responded, “We showed a lack of confidence against the Faroe Islands and we could feel from the very beginning of the match that it was going to be a tough game. The fact that the Faroe Islands have very strong players affected our performance and we were forced to play a defensive game.”
He continued, “We analysed the game together and worked hard to improve the confidence of our players. We planned to be more creative and to collectively push forward in the next match against Albania.”
The team did fare better against the hosts and showed more of an attacking intent. On the other hand, neither side appeared to be able to convincingly hold on to their lead which led to the penalty shootout. Despite this, Tabone’s side held their nerve in the shootout with the goalkeeper also making a few important saves.
Asked about the positives taken from the match, Tabone said, “The game against Albania was a very positive match. Our girls showed massive improvement in their confidence following the defeat against the Faroe Islands. We scored the first goal & the girls continued to believe. Two very positive things about this game are the fact that we managed to score 3 goals and the comeback after we were losing by 2-1.”
In reference to letting the initial lead slip, Tabone said, “We still conceded two soft goals, however our girls showed character and managed to take the lead again by scoring another two goals before half-time. In the second half we created more scoring opportunities, but we did not convert our chances into goals and Albania managed to get the draw that forced us into a penalty shootout. However, our girls beat the pressure and won the game.”
The coach also noted an improvement in the final match against Luxembourg, despite the result not going their way.
Identifying Areas For Development
These tournaments are referred to as development tournaments for a reason, where the ultimate focus is on these players gaining experience at international level. In this regard, playing against these teams exposed areas for improvement for all units, in defence, midfield and attack.
At times the team appeared to lose sense of positioning and squandered possession cheaply. Goals came through use of set-pieces and long-range efforts, but there was limited creativity in open play. Probed about each of these elements Tabone replied, “Obviously we have a lot of work to do in all areas. We need to work hand in hand with the clubs to see how we can improve the intensity of our domestic league. Our main objective after this experience is to analyse all areas we need to improve.”
The coach continued, “Results at this stage are not our main priority, even because of the fact that you need to give adequate playing time to all players. These games are very important for our players to gain more confidence and I believe that they need to participate more in these kinds of tournaments to improve their level. We need to build on our positives and monitor closely all areas of improvement.”
Finally, besides the tactical and technical skillset required in football, there is also the importance of soft skills, relating to the attitude and character brought by these players.
Asked about the players’ demeanour throughout the tournament, the coach praised his team saying, “We could not ask for better attitude and commitment. The girls showed great character. The game against Albania is a proof of this. We cannot be more proud of our girls and I believe most of them will enjoy a bright football career.”
Images: Malta FA
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