Malta will be playing against Liechtenstein this evening at Ta’ Qali in a friendly match which MFA Technical Director and caretaker coach Robert Gatt described as a typical match for the Maltese team.
Addressing a news conference yesterday morning, Gatt said he was at present occupying a double function within the MFA, that of Technical Director and coach, until a new mentor is selected, possibly before June.
Gatt went on to say that today’s match was very important for the team. “We want to win, no doubt about it. I believe the squad has all the qualities to achieve a victory, but we have to forget about the 7-1 victory against the same opponents almost four years ago. That is past history. Today we have to show full concentration as our opponents have improved a lot.
“Just take a look at recent results and the points obtained by Liechtenstein in the qualifying rounds of the last World Cup and the current European Championship.
“They have a good number of experienced players in their squad and they will definitely make it very hard for us.
“But I also believe we have improved as well, though not as much as we desired. One positive note is the introduction to the squad of some young players - Bjorn Kristensen, Zach Muscat and Rowen Muscat - all promoted from the Under 21 side. The latter two will be on duty with the Under 21s this afternoon, but it is evident that these three players have a bright future ahead of them.
“I hope the newcomers in the side will all make their debut in the national team. I have to mix them with the experienced colleagues. That will help them to integrate not just within the squad but also in the team,” said Gatt.
The coach went on to say that it was not possible to announce his starting line up. “There are still two training sessions before the match. Although I have in mind who will be starting the match, however, I do not think it is prudent to make such announcements. I think that players will be more motivated if they know they are starting the match a few hours before kick-off,” he added.
Gatt also said that he will be making use of the players forming part of the foreign legion. “That is why we have brought them. And this is a good occasion for us to make an assessment of their condition, even if some may not be playing for their current clubs at present,” he said.
Asked about Luke Dimech, dropped by former coach John Buttigieg following a controversial dispute, the Malta coach said he had known the player since he was introduced in the Under 16s. “I have always believed he has a strong potential. He is mentally and physically fit and I do not think it will be a problem for him to integrate into the team quickly,” said Gatt.
Taking into consideration everything, Gatt is expected to start with an experienced side with the youngsters being given their chance during the match. “I am very disappointed that one of the seven substitutes will not be able to take part. UEFA has not allowed us to use more than six substitutes. And I also must thank the other players who had to be dropped. They all worked hard like the others. Unfortunately, there is only space for 18 players.”
Although he did not announce his starting line up, Gatt’s formation should not differ much from the following:
Justin Haber; Luke Dimech, Andrei Agius, Jonathan Caruana, Clayton Failla; Roderick Briffa, Gareth Sciberras, Ryan Fenech; Andrew Cohen, Michael Mifsud, Andre Schembri.
The other players in the squad are: Henry Bonello, Steve Borg, Alex Muscat, Edmond Agius, Shaun Bajada, Daniel Bogdanovic and Bjorn Kristensen.
Team captain Michael Mifsud said it did not bother him were he to be closely marked in today’s match because of the fact that he scored five of the seven goals in the 2008 win. “If they closely mark me, there will be space for the others. What is important is that we have to play as a team. We will be doing our best to get a positive result,” he said.