by Malta’s U19 Women’s National Team coach, David Attard, discussed improved gameplay while addressing the importance of playing friendlies against foreign opposition as the side broke the deadlock first in both matches, but settled for a draw and defeat in two matches against Lebanon last week. The Malta coach also gave his take on the impact of additions on the player pool.
Chance Creation & Killing Matches
Malta’s U19 Women’s National Team played two friendlies against Lebanon last weekend, where the side walked away with a 4 – 2 defeat and a 1 – 1 draw. The two matches were played on Wednesday and Friday of last week, as the side utilised the window to prepare for the UEFA Women’s U19 European Championship matches against Latvia, Khazakstan and Israel, to be played toward the end of this month.
Malta broke the deadlock through captain Lexine Farrugia in the opening match, before Lebanon levelled things. Amelia Vassallo revived Malta’s lead, but the side relinquished the lead as the time wore on, walking away with defeat. The second match gave the Maltese support another hope as Nyorah Celeste converted the finish from a set-piece delivery, but once again the Maltese side could not hold off the Lebanese response, walking away with a draw.
Having taken the reigns last season, David Attard was asked for his thoughts on the progress with regards to the team adopting his philosophy with regards to build-up, off-the-ball mentality and chance creation.
He replied, “Of course, you always want the win and the result is what matters at the end of the day. But if we look past that, we have to look at the building blocks. I was pleased with the effort and the desire I saw. We saw clear signs of what we’re working on in training, which was primarily trying to be brave on the ball and working hard to get it back.”
He summed up, “There were good moments and there were moments where we need to be better, which is natural. It’s a process and I believe we took a step in the right direction even if the result didn’t show it.”
On the other hand, given the team lost the lead in both matches, David Attard was asked about the team’s ability to kill off matches, David Attard began, “That’s the challenge at this level. Firstly, we must give credit to the opposition. They were a quality side with players who can hurt you in an instant. For us it’s about learning to manage those crucial moments, especially right after we score, when the other team is naturally going to throw everything at you. We made a couple of similar mistakes in both games that led to goals and those are tough but valuable learning moments.”
As to finding a way for his team to overcome this, Attard replied, “There’s no magic wand, it’s an ongoing process of working with the players on the training pitch to improve their awareness and composure under pressure while converting chances into goals. We just have to keep rolling up our sleeves.”
On The Impact Of Broader Place Competition & Preparing For The Future
The matches propped up some surprise names in the squad as the starting line-ups featured four additional players that were omitted from the original call-up published by Malta Football Association. The players play their football away from Maltese shores: Emma Flannery, Rowen Crawshaw, Caitlyn Turner and Alys Wilson. The Association also confirmed that an additional player, Isabella Garcia also trained with the team.
David Attard was asked for his view on how he believes the existing player pool will respond to the additional competition for places, “I can comment on the reaction from the existing squad – it was great and they welcomed the additional players in and everyone got straight to work. All we want is that anyone who comes in adds value to the group and pushes the standard higher. Healthy competition is good for everyone. It reminds every single player that they have to be at their best for their club to get a chance with the national team.”
As to his hopes for the reaction in the wider player pool, he continued, “I am hoping it serves as motivation for the whole pool to keep working hard and challenge their boundaries every day.”
The Malta U19 coach hailed the opportunity to play against foreign opposition in friendlies, with a view on further growth, “Yes definitely, it was a valuable experience. There’s no better experience than playing international games. It gave us a chance to test ourselves and see where we stand. We learned a lot about what works and what still needs a lot of work.”
Looking to the upcoming UEFA Women’s European Champions qualification matches against Latvia, Khazakstan and Israel, he finished, “We know the challenges ahead of us in the qualifiers and we’re under no illusions about how competitive it will be. We’ve done everything we can to prepare with these games and now it’s about taking those lessons forward and applying them when it really counts.”
Players will return to their clubs for domestic football commitments for the upcoming three weeks, before Attard will be expected to make another selection for the UEFA Women’s U19 European Qualification Championship.
Malta’s U19s will be hosting the mini-tournament. The team will face Latvia on the 25th November at 11:00, before meeting Israel on the 28th November at 14:30 and Khazakstan on the 1st December at 11:00. Matches will be played at the Centenary Stadium.
Lead Image: Malta FA
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