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“One game at a time!”by Jonathan SpiteriThat is surely one of the most common phrases which our bright coach, Mr Paul Zammit, has been repeating to our lads in the past weeks. And surely, they should be expecting to hear it until the very last competitive match next May. I cannot but agree with this philosophy. One long term project is made up of a number of short term ones which, when completed, lead to the final goal. Of course, there is no such thing in football, as a Club must always have a ‘going on concern’ mentality. Once a club’s main people think that they have reached their targets, the slump is inevitable. This can happen to the major European clubs, let alone to small clubs like Maltese ones. Our last game against Valletta was another checkpoint in our long marathon. In my opinion, this time round we have passed this maturity test when comparing with similar situations last season. As soon as we were near the top of the table, it seemed like our team suffered from vertigo and always went down disappointingly, much to the dismay of our supporters. After 3 convincing displays that yielded 9 points out of 9, it was of utmost importance to put in a gritty performance against those who boast the most complete squad (with virtually two players for every role), and therefore title favourites. Still, having taken the lead early in the second half one might argue that we let two points drop but, given the circumstances, the vast majority of us would have put pen to paper for a draw. And draw it was, even if Valletta, as expected, had the lion’s share of possession, our tigers never let an inch go to their rivals. Until Valletta’s casual equaliser, it seemed that Mr Zmmit’s tactics and the players’ hard work as a unit had done their job. And this, apart for the fact of not losing such a six pointer, is the thing that made the supporters happy at the end of the day. Special praise should surely go to those players who replaced the missing ones, making their absence almost pass unnoticed. 
The Tarxien game can be very tricky. In my opinion, Noel Coleiro’s men play some neat football which makes every opponent sweat. We must look at this game with optimism, but also with caution. We should never expect the three points, but earn them! It might be possible that a couple of players are given some rest, especially those who are shrugging off injuries. We should be heartened though with the return of Paul Fenech and Joseph Zerafa. Let’s hope we are once again entertained with the kind of performances that made us earn the acclamation of the team presently playing the finest football on the island. What about our support? Needless to say that it is always important to stay behind the team, especially when it is made up of a number of young, but promising players. I am personally satisfied with the support against Valletta, and I really hope the quality of our support increases as matches go by…after all it is just what these lads deserve!! Want to comment about this article? Click here |