National coach Pietro Ghedin yesterday made it clear that despite the narrow defeat against Denmark on Friday evening, he will adopt the same system of play this evening in the match against Bulgaria (kick-off 8pm at Ta’ Qali).
He insisted, however, that his boys will have to avoid the mistakes committed in defence and in attack last Friday if they are to register a positive result.
He said: “We are facing another strong team. And it will be another difficult match. But despite all that occurred on Friday night, I still believe in my boys. They were in very good shape and created a lot. It was a real pity that we lost a game we should have won had it not been for some mistakes at the back and some glaring misses up front. We gave the Danes the opportunity to win the match and they gladly accepted it.
“That match showed that even if we play well, it is not enough. But we now know quite well that if we do not commit such mistakes, we are able to give decent opposition to any team.”
“Why should I change my system?” he asked. And added: “Against Armenia in Yerevan, we did quite well. That was an extraordinary evening. It was not just the result. Even the performance was good and it was away from home. We were even better against Denmark on Friday, except for those mishaps in defence and attack which provided the Danes with the opportunity to win.”
Ghedin also confirmed that Luke Dimech, Alex Muscat and possibly Jonathan Caruana, will be back in the side this evening. “I need these three players badly at the back. Against Denmark, we lost concentration in certain moments as I had to play Roderick Briffa on the flank instead of midfield. For this match, Briffa is suspended after having collected a second yellow card on Friday. We definitely have to show an improvement at the back and I also hope to be more lucky than we have been against Denmark.
Moreover, Caruana is still not 100 per cent match fit, but I am relying on the medical staff to see whether he will be available.
“I also have two slightly injured players – Clayton Failla and John Mintoff – who are receiving treatment. I am still uncertain as to their complete fitness for this match,” he said.
Asked whether there will be more surprises in the formation this evening after the positive performances of relative newcomer Rowen Muscat and debutant John Mintoff, Ghedin said he could not produce much surprises. “I must commend both players for their performance on Friday. I was very satisfied with what they did on the field of play.”
The Italian mentor went on to speak about Michael Mifsud. “It is true he is still without a club. But he remains a professional and is a big part of the history of Maltese football. He must be missing playing in a team as he might be lacking sharpness, but this is quite normal. If he can find a team as quickly as possible, that would be of great help to us all,” he stated.
Ghedin is well aware that it will not be easy to get a result this evening. “Bulgaria top a list of four teams behind Italy in the Group. They have one more point than Armenia, the Czech Republic and Denmark in the battle to win second place in the Group in the hope of making it to the World Cup play offs. So they will certainly be playing for a win to consolidate that second place in the Group.
The coach once again thanked the supporters for their encouragement on Friday night. “The nice atmosphere they are creating when the national team plays, helps the players to get more motivated and therefore enables them to improve their performance,” he said.
Valletta’s central defender Luke Dimech will be returning to the side after a one-match suspension. He said yesterday: “We are aware of Bulgaria’s strength. We were beaten heavily 6-0 in the snow earlier this year in Sofia. We have to forget all about that defeat and performance. On that day, we found the snow as a major obstacle. Now we hope that the heat over here will be a major obstacle for them. We have to forget all about the Denmark match and look forward to what could be a positive outcome. We have to avoid mistakes, thus limiting the danger. With the help of everyone, we can manage to get a good result.
“I was sorry I missed Friday’s match. I wished I had been down there helping my team-mates. Although I am getting old, I still feel that I can give a lot to the team especially through my experience.
“As to the team squad, I feel there is unity among us. We all give our 100 per cent for the country and we are working hard through a mix of experienced and young players to register improvement in the hope that we might even be able to move up a grade in future.”
Youngster Rowen Muscat was enthusiastic after his first full outing for Malta. “It was a very good experience for me. It is a different level than playing in the local Premier League. Here you can take a short 10-second rest at some intervals during a match. In such international (competitive) matches, you have to continue running and thinking. Watering the pitch before such matches is one other thing which might help us. This is done regularly abroad.”
He went on to thank the coach, the technical staff and the whole group of players who helped him integrate so well in a relatively short time. “I think this squad has plenty of promise. I firmly believe we can reach our targets in future.”