by Mgarr United and San Gwann will mark the return of the Assikura Women’s League following the international break this evening, with kick-off settled at 19:15 at the Charles Abela Stadium. Ryan Vella & Julian Camilleri had contrasting views on the international break, with the two eyeing a strong performance tonight despite changes.
Reflecting On The International Break
Mgarr United and San Gwann will be returning back to the pitch this evening, following a two week hiatus to make way for the international break.
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.
The Greens had strong presence in Malta’s national senior women’s team, with Ryan Vella elated by the presence of his players in the red shirt. He fully backed the national team setup when asked regarding the comments made by national team coaches in regards to the development of players at clubs.
Ryan Vella remarked, “We’re very happy and proud that once again we were the team with the most call-ups during this window. For the players it was an amazing experience. From what we’ve seen and from the feedback we’ve had, our players had a very positive time in training and in the matches they were involved in.”
Meanwhile, San Gwann had a more limited selection, but Julian Camilleri was elated by those making the cut, “It’s always an honour to see players of ours wear the national team shirt.”
As to comments related to development, Camilleri weighed in, “For us, player development is our first priority, however as I’ve said before the challenge in the senior league is to give players the necessary playing time. I’ve already discussed this before so do not wish to beleaguer the point, but as I’ve said I believe if things are to change, then I think it is important to allow coaches to sound their voice and discuss.”
Use Of The Break At Club Level
While several players were away on international duty, coaches still had a few at their disposal, with each coach giving insight into their use of the break during the window.
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella suggested individual focus was the primary aim, “During this time we had more chance to work individually with the rest of the players, both physically and technically. We felt that working in this way would keep everyone sharp and ready to go once all the team is back together and start preparing once again for the matches coming up.”
San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri welcomed the break to recover a few of the many injuries the team incurred, “Some of the injured players have recovered over the break, some are still out due to more serious issues.”
In the meantime, the team has focused on maximising the break for those ready to take to the pitch, “We’ve focused on our fitness and took the opportunity to load heavily. The number of players with us was good so we could focus also on some aspects for each player group. The break also allowed us to recover mentally and renew motivation and belief in the team.”
Changing Fixtures Not On Their Mind
Tonight’s fixture was subject to two changes as the Malta Football Association sought to accommodate the Jubilee Cup’s second phase. Initially meant to be played at the Centenary Stadium after eight, the match was initially moved to the Centenary Stadium on Saturday, before making its way back to Thursday. However, this time it will actually be played at 19:15 and at the Charles Abela Stadium.
The two coaches were questioned about the impact of the fixture changes on their preparations. This in view also of the fact that Mgarr United will gain two days of recovery to prepare for next week’s semi-final in the Women’s Jubilee Cup where they will face Swieqi United, while San Gwann play the match and then will go on another week break from senior competitive matches due to being knocked out in the preliminary round.
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella suggested his team is solely focused on tonight’s match, “In our league you have to be prepared for these situations and need to be prepared to adapt when needed. Our job is always to work week by week, so our focus is solely on San Gwann and getting another three points.”
Julian Camilleri believes facing Mgarr United will be a tough challenge but is backing his team to provide staunch opposition, “When you are facing a team at the top of the table it is always a challenge. However, we’ve worked with a plan toward trying to balance out the match.”
As to the fixture and venue changes, Camilleri replied, “The stadium change affects us both positively and negatively, depending on how things shape up in the match. However, certainly the fact that we will have a break after this match again will help us since the following league match will be a direct confrontation for us.”
The two teams will take to the pitch at 19:15 at the Charles Abela Stadium.
Lead Image: Brandon Bonett
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