Speaking to journalists ahead of upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Croatia and Slovakia, national coach Devis Mangia said the level of players had improved and their mentality had improved as well.
He said the players and the squad are evolving with new young players getting the opportunity to taste international football at a senior level.
He also praised the fans for the constant support they show to the national team.
‘We cannot raise our expectations before these two matches’ he said.
He confirmed that he is also seeing an improvement in the team, and in the confidence of the players but everyone needs to keep his feet on the ground. ‘This is part of a project and we will not reap immediate benefits but have to go through a process step by step,’ said Coach Mangia.
When asked about individual players that were not given the thumbs up sign for this international window, Coach Mangia explained that his role includes taking decisions. The players who have been left out need to understand and see what they can do to improve their performance and how to win back a place in the national team.
Devis Mangia is also the National Teams Head Coach and thus he is a in an optimal position to speak also about the youth teams where he explained that if one removes the 4 U-21 players who have found a place in the national team already, only 17 of the eligible players to play for the U-21 team played a few minutes in the Maltese BOV Premier League. Of these, only 3 played more than 180 minutes in the first five games and 9 of them played less than 90 minutes. This means that these youngsters are not being given the chance to play competitive football, learn from their mistakes and increase their experience.
Malta will now be in action on Thursday 11th November against Croatia and on Sunday 14th November against Slovakia, both to be played at the National Stadium, Ta’ Qali.
Source: MFA
