Brian Said (Sliema W.)

The Blues and Malta defender Brian Said is my pick this week after his five-star performance against Birkirkara.

He never missed a ball whether it was on the ground or in the air and it was a delight to watch this loyal player also finding time to move up with his forwards, especially in the set pieces, something which he does quite frequently and with some success as well.

Brian kept Birkirkara’s top striker Haruna Doda well under control and it is not difficult to say that he emerged clearly on top.

It was not just by coincidence that he was named Player of the Match, though he must have had serious competition from Darren Debono and Joe Brincat.

Coach of the Week

Edward Aquilina (Sliema W.)

Edward Aquilina is obviously my choice this week. He and his assistant Hugh Caruana used the right tactics in keeping Birkirkara at bay for the whole match thanks to a brilliant defensive system which allowed at times Brian Said, and at times Joe Brincat, to move out in search of a dangerous counter-attack which had the Birkirkara defence at sixes and sevens.

Aquilina and Caruana must have worked hard throughout the previous week. The result was shattering for the Stripes – the Blues duo managed to eliminate a strong candidate from the race for the title, at least temporarily.