Pietà Hotspurs vs Birkirkara

Birkirkara vs Pietà Hotspurs was not just another Championship Pool match, it was also a tactical and psychological battle between two of the country's most respected coaches... Stephen Azzopardi and Ray Farrugia. Honours were shared as the game ended 1-1.

Kevin Azzopardi pitched the two mentors in a head-to-head encounter...

1. The heading of The Times' Birkirkara vs Pietà Hotspurs (1-1) report on Saturday read - 'Stripes foiled by battling Hotspurs'. Your comments...

Stephen Azzopardi (Birkirkara): It is testament to Pietà's battling qualities that they grabbed their equaliser 15 minutes from time but I believe that the 1-1 result was the product of a combination of factors. Our failure to exchange superior possession into goals cost us dearly as did some incorrect decisions by the referee.

Ray Farrugia (Pietà Hotspurs): No doubt, Birkirkara enjoyed more possession but I was surprised that they relied more on crosses. As to our own performance, I have to agree that it was a battling effort by my team... commitment is our fortè. My players have no option but to roll up their sleeves and fight hard because our playing resources are very restricted compared with those of the title candidates. We need to reinforce our team with three good players - a striker, midfielder and one on the flank - to be more competitive.

2. How satisfied were you with your teams' performance on Friday?

SA: I cannot be happy because we did not win.

RF: A point against Birkirkara is good but our performance did not provide much cause for delight.

3. And the referee's control... Birkirkara fans weren't very happy with certain decisions taken by Anton Zammit, especially the sending-off of William Camenzuli late in the game.

SA: TV replays left no doubt as to the legitimacy of our two penalty appeals... one on Doda, when the referee deemed that the foul had occurred on the edge of the area, and the other in injury time on Antoine Zahra. The red card to William Camenzuli was also harsh... the referee could have shown him a yellow card for dissent but the player's reaction was caused by his decision to sanction a non-existent foul. Camenzuli's tackle was clean.

RF: Referees are an easy target for criticism. I mean, let's be honest on this subject... if the result falls below expectations, fingers are always pointed at the referee which, in my opinion, is unfair. We are all human but referees are expected to be the epitome of perfection. In an ideal world, referees get all their decisions correct but the reality is different. There were many games when I felt that certain decisions went against my team but what can you do about it?

4. Who were the best three performers on Friday?

SA: 1. Chucks Nwoko; 2. Ivan Woods; 3. William Camenzuli.

RF: For me there were four players who caught the eye... Mauro Di Lello, Ivan Woods, Saviour Darmanin and Chucks Nwoko.

5. The general view before the match was that Birkirkara were under more pressure than Pietà Hotspurs to deliver the goods given their bold ambition to win the title. Did the psychological factor weigh on Birkirkara's performance?

SA: Every game at this crucial juncture of the campaign is a cup final for our team. We are always under great pressure to win but I don't think that affected our performance against Pietà.

RF: The big teams have to live with this favourites' tag, whether they like it or not. Were Birkirkara favourites to beat us? My answer is yes. Pressure is part and parcel of football but I believe that Birkirkara players know how to cope with the pressure.

6. Pietà Hotspurs have earned a reputation as one of the most difficult teams to beat despite their considerable limitations. What makes them such difficult customers?

SA: They are a disciplined side, very well-organised and their physical condition is very good. Administration-wise, Pietà Hotspurs are run in a very serious way by their committee. They also have a very good coach.

RF: It's the unity in our clan that makes us strong. If we did not have this great team spirit and sense of togetherness, I don't think we would have made it to the Championship Pool what with the intense competition for places there was this season. We are among the top six despite not winning a match for more than two months... I am convinced that had any other team gone through such a dry patch, they would have pressed the self-destruct button out of panic but we didn't. That's a credit to the character of the players and our excellent committee, spearheaded by Edward Schembri. He stayed very close to the team even when things were not very rosy.

7. The Championship Pool is unfolding into two races for different targets... the top three are fighting it out for the title with the remaining sides vying to land the fourth spot which could earn them a place in the Intertoto Cup. Who are your favourites to occupy fourth position at the end of the season?

SA: The three of them have a chance to finish fourth because they are more or less on a par as our results against them show... 4-3 vs Marsaxlokk, 1-0 vs Floriana and 1-1 vs Pietà.

RF: I hope it's Pietà Hotspurs.

8. Hibs' title chances were seen as remote after their defeat to Birkirkara but their 3-0 victory over Sliema Wanderers has lifted them back in contention.

SA: Yes, it has definitely given their title prospects a boost but I think that their role in the championship race will be better defined after the direct clash between Sliema Wanderers and us next weekend. I am convinced that Hibernians are hoping for a draw or a victory for us in the match against Sliema to remain in the hunt for the title.

RF: I never had doubts about Hibs' title credentials. People tend to forget that the players in the current Hibs squad have been playing together for a number of years and to my mind, that's a big plus for them.

9. Given the possibility to sign any player from the current Birkirkara/Pietà squad, who would you go for?

SA: I would consider two options... Gareth Sciberras, because he is a defensive midfield player with a prosperous future in front of him, and Chris Okoh for the excellent service he gave to Birkirkara during his one-year loan spell.

RF: George Mallia.

10. Both Birkirkara and Pietà have several players forming part of the national squad. The MFA's training scheme has been the subject of an endless debate. What are your views on this topic?

SA: Here, we have a very peculiar situation where the top division is virtually made up of 11 sides... the ten clubs and the national team. This system does not make much sense in today's football. It's high time we put an end to this practice... we should implement a system which allows players to train with clubs but I see nothing wrong if players have certain pre-set slots during the season when they are requested to report for training with the national squad for, let's say, seven days.

Members of the national squad could also train once a week together but having your key players practising elsewhere for three days a week is by no means acceptable.

RF: I was coach of the Malta U-21 team and I'm now in charge of a club side. I can say that it's hard to take a stance on this subject... the training scheme aims to offset the limitations plaguing our clubs such as playing facilities, set-up etc.

On the other hand, we've got to accept that clubs have come a long way in recent years, the level of coaching has improved, so it's time the powers that be listen to what clubs have to say about this subject. From the point-of-view of a club coach, the scheme is not ideal as we have to conduct a number of sessions every week without key players. Moreover, I think that there is plenty of room for improvement in the level of co-operation between the national coaching staff and club coaches.

11. Clubs have been engaged in discussions with the MFA over the impact Malta's entry into the European Union will have on local football. Should Maltese clubs exercise their right to unrestricted employment of EU footballers or are you in favour of some form of quota?

SA: The reality is that regulations state that EU workers have the right to freedom of movement and this entitles them to seek a job here. Malta has secured a number of concessions with the EU, including that seven-year transition period which permits the country to limit the number of incoming EU workers if there is a threat of a heavy inflow.

RF: There should be some form of quota in place if we want to safeguard homegrown talent. Interest in local football is already at a low ebb and the situation will only get worse if young Maltese players shy away from the game because all the first-team opportunities are hogged by foreigners.

12. What was your reaction to the proposal of fielding only three EU players at any given time?

SA: Again, it does not make much sense because the rules say otherwise. If such proposal were to be adopted, I think it would undermine the small clubs who cannot afford to have two good foreign players on the bench. The focus of the debate should not be the limits on EU players but rather the quotas on non-EU players.

RF: Not a bad idea but I ask... can Maltese clubs afford to sign a number of foreign players when they know that they can only play three at any given time? Maybe, clubs would be better off if they agree between them to limit the number of EU foreign players in each squad to four or five.

13. Premier League with eight teams... do you agree?

SA: Maybe the level will improve slightly if the number of teams in the league is trimmed to eight but I don't think that the problems dogging our game are related to quantity. There should be a unified effort to invest in our nurseries, offer better coaching education, launch initiatives to entice the fans to come to our stadia and strengthen the bond between the MFA and clubs.

RF: No... because that would suffocate the smaller clubs. I think that many clubs in the country would lose their interest as having the top league with only eight teams would seriously hamper their chances of making some sort of impact.

14. Which is your preferred format for our top league?

SA: The present format should be scrapped... teams and points should not be split. I am convinced that clubs will also improve if they play more games during the season.

RF: Ten teams and three rounds of matches.