by Valletta & Lija Athletic will kick off their Assikura Women’s League campaigns tonight at the Centenary Stadium, at 20:30. Valletta’s Jean Lopes is backing his team for a strong opener in search of an improved position this season. However, the Brazilian is not underestimating his opponent, with Lija Athletic’s Jethron Azzopardi making clear the intent on building on last year’s strong debut.
Aspiring Toward Improved Performances
Valletta and Lija Athletic will take to the pitch tonight knowing that they both had success stories last season in their own regard, each with the hunger of building toward higher ground. Although Valletta did not manage to make the top four, they showed they were a cut above the rest by dominating the results following the split.
Jean Lopes took over from Denis Guerra mid-way through last season and suggests that pre-season has allowed the team to develop in their tactical approach, “Now that we’ve had a full pre-season with the team, you might see some changes in how we play compared to last season. We’ve been working on improving our tactics to be more consistent attacking and defending.”
The Brazilian also suggested that mentality is another area that is being addressed, with the intention of incremental improvement over the foundation laid in previous years, “We’re also focusing on better teamwork, communication on the field and mindset of the players. However, overall the main ideas that guided us last season will still be the same, so the changes will mostly be small improvements.”
As noted above, Valletta were undefeated against the other teams in the bottom four, but points eluded them against the top teams. However, Jean Lopes is upbeat that the team can offer a stronger challenge this season, “I’m confident that we can do better than last year and finish in the top four this season. The pre-season was really important for us to see where we’re strong and where we need to get better. The players have worked hard and are open to the changes we’re making. While the competition is tough, I believe the improvements we’re making in our tactics and the growing teamwork in the squad give us a good chance to reach our goal.”
On the other hand, Lija Athletic’s Jethron Azzopardi will be into his second season with the team. The coach is eyeing a consolidated set of performances to establish a stronger mid-table ranking. He said, “The next step would be to progress on the work that has been done last year and get better results against top four clubs and be consistent with the bottom four clubs.”
Lija Athletic made a few signings to add depth to the squad, which sorely lacked last year and was one of the toughest to navigate in the league. However, Jethron Azzopardi’s team will be heading into this season without the services of the captain that led last year, as Simone Buttigieg decided to step away from the pitch.
However, Jethron Azzopardi has put faith in Leanne Micallef to lead the squad, “Leanne Micallef will be taking the role of captain this season. She was one of the best players in the season last year, scoring the most goals and assists for the team. Also she is a leader inside and outside of the pitch.”
It All Begins With A Single Step
Aspirations are high, but it all starts with making the most of the first ninety minutes. Although matches ended in Valletta’s favour last season, Jean Lopes is not underestimating the improvements made by their opponent, “Lija Athletic gave us some tough games last season, and even though we won those matches, I expect them to be even harder to beat this year. They’re a strong team, and I’m sure they’ve been working hard to get better.”
However, Valletta’s coach is backing his team to take to the pitch with a fighting mentality, “We’re getting ready for more difficult matches against them, and while we’re confident in our own team, we know we’ll have to play our best to win again.”
There’s no doubt that Lija Athletic will be keen on showing they took their football to the next step over the summer and perhaps nothing would show that as acutely as gaining a positive result against Valletta tonight.
In fact, probed about whether they would be willing to take a point as a positive step, Jethron Azzopardi was clear on the intent for more, “We always go down for three points, nothing less. It has always been an interesting encounter. Maybe this time round we get the win.”
The two teams will kick-off their Assikura Women’s League campaigns tonight at the Centenary Stadium, at 20:30.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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