Heese rues Croatia's opener but praises Malta for effort

Wednesday's World Cup 2006 qualifier against Croatia followed a predictable pattern in so far as Malta are concerned.

Commitment and fighting spirit are never in short supply when our national team are up against towering opponents but very often they find the gap in technique and the elevated intensity of international football too big to bridge.

This was certainly the case last Wednesday. Malta went through the first 23 minutes without conceding a goal but once Dado Prso broke the stalemate for the slick and pacey Croats, the only question was how many goals the hosts would score.

In the end, they managed to put three in our net which national coach Horst Heese would later describe as an acceptable outcome.

"Losing 3-0 to Croatia is not that bad after all," said the German coach after the match. "We can live with that result."

Staying positive after a defeat is not easy, especially if your team has been outclassed for most of the match. But it seems that Heese's contempt of the low standard of our domestic football is so big that his chief concern is for Malta to avoid heavy defeats.

At least, that was the impression relayed by Heese when he professed to be satisfied with the result at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb where less than six years before Malta had lost only 2-1 to the same opponents in a Euro 2000 qualifier.

Reflecting on the match, Heese rued the soft manner of Prso's opener.

"That goal came at the wrong time for us and in my opinion could have been avoided," he said.

"For me it was like an own goal. Maybe our keeper was a bit nervous when that cross came in but we cannot blame him because he also had his good moments."

Croatia's crisp movement forced the Maltese to play catch-up for most of the first half, in the process draining their energy levels.

"Our players had to run a lot in midfield because Croatia were so quick and accurate in their passing," Heese remarked.

"We also encountered some problems on the flanks, particularly in the first 25 minutes but that was to be expected considering that Peter Pullicino and Kevin Sammut had never played together on the right. They found the going tough at first.

"Claude Mattocks also struggled on the left because Croatia piled on the pressure from the start.

"They apply very clever tactics and play with three at the back. But when they are attacking, two of their defenders move out on the flanks to enable other midfielders to take up different positions on the pitch.

"Their playing style is very unpredictable and difficult to control."

Grima's prospect

In the lead-up to Wednesday's match, Heese had lauded the resurgent Massimo Grima who was given a place in the starting line-up.

Hailed by Heese as the "future of Maltese football and a player who can add a new dimension to the team's play," Grima's return to international football lasted 45 minutes.

"Massimo Grima needs time to pep up his fitness and get ready for international football," Heese said.

"It was not easy for him to come straight into the team for such a demanding game but in six months to a year's time, he should have improved sufficiently to give a better contribution... he has talent but he needs time."

Ivan Woods' omission from the team had a few eyebrows raised after the Sliema striker had established himself as a regular in the team over the last year-and-a-half in which time he made 12 appearances.

His positive impact on the team, after taking Grima's place at the start of the second half, served to trigger further questions as to the wisdom of Heese's choice to drop him but the Malta coach stood by his decision.

"I don't think I committed a mistake in leaving Woods out of the team," he said.

"He came on and did well but it could have been the other way round. Who knows how he would have played had he started? I think that his absence from the first team actually increased his motivation.

"The main reason I decided not to start with him is because I was not happy lately with his performances for his club and training with the national team."

Selecting the first XI on Wednesday was tough for Heese and assistant Carmel Busuttil as their decision to promote Grima and Kevin Sammut necessitated a few changes to the midfield set-up.

For a time it seemed that skipper Gilbert Agius, the most experienced player in the squad, could be asked to step aside but his experience and sense of leadership swayed their decision in his favour despite other reports claiming otherwise.

"I am pleased with Gilbert Agius' performance," Heese said.

"He showed a lot of fighting spirit and was a source of inspiration. He has experience and the others are more comfortable when he's on the pitch. It was those qualities that convinced us to start him against Croatia."

Malta's best scoring chance came from the feet of the mercurial Etienne Barbara who was roped in for the ineffectual Michael Mifsud midway through the second half.

Picking up a pass deep in his own half, the Birkirkara striker executed a feint to throw three Croatia players off balance before unleashing a searing run towards goal but his final effort was just touched away by the Croatia goalkeeper.

"From the dug-out we were thinking... should we put in Barbara or Andrew Cohen?" Heese said.

"We instructed both players to warm up as we pondered our options. Ultimately, our choice fell on Barbara because he's the kind of player who can achieve the unexpected.

"We also wanted someone who could give our attack a physical presence, a player who can cause problems to the opponents in the air."

Apart from his substitutions, Heese also had to make some positional changes near the hour mark after central defender Brian Said was forced to leave the pitch injured.

"Said has a hamstring injury," Heese said. "When he came off, Giglio was moved to defence and he did a good job for us. Perhaps, we should think about using Giglio more often in that position."

Heese also praised Floriana defender Ian Azzopardi.

He said: "Azzopardi was one of our better players. He made some timely interventions and I know it's not easy to face up to players like Prso and Klasnic who score almost every week for Rangers and Werder Bremen.

"Overall, I think we were organised and as long as I know that the boys did their best, I am satisfied."

Remaining matches

June 4: Bulgaria vs Croatia; Iceland vs Hungary; Sweden vs Malta.

June 8: Iceland vs Malta.

Sept. 3: Hungary vs MALTA; Iceland vs Croatia; Sweden vs Bulgaria.

Sept. 7: MALTA vs Croatia; Bulgaria vs Iceland; Hungary vs Sweden.

Oct. 8: Croatia vs Sweden; Bulgaria vs Hungary.

Oct. 12: Hungary vs Croatia; MALTA vs Bulgaria; Sweden vs Iceland.