Well done Malta... but let's not get carried away

The days when people preached about foreign coaches being more qualified are gone. We have had a sequence of foreigners guiding our national team with minimal return and now the public is calling for a Maltese to take the reins.

The temptation to eulogise the Maltese team is big. Surely, our players merit all the credit coming their way after a lively display produced the first point of their EURO 2004 Group One qualifying campaign sequel to a two-all draw with Israel in neutral Antalya.

And it was not just the result which provided much cause for delight but the manner with which it was achieved. Malta created a sackful of goalscoring chances which would have given them a strong platform early on had the players been more clinical in front of goal.

Yes, a big well done to Malta but caution is urged for. We cannot afford to get carried away by one positive result. Unfortunately, we all know that the Maltese have a tendency to go to extremes and Wednesday's match constitutes a case in point.

Our national team was in shambles, without a point in seven EURO 2004 qualifiers and dismissed as a waste of time and money by their many detractors who are indeed easy to come by in our tiny island where most of the citizens are experts in the art of vilification.

Yet, on Wednesday, Malta defied its fading image with a performance which made one wonder why the team had failed to make a better impact in this campaign.

The 2-2 draw with Israel gave Maltese football a much-needed shot in the arm and it should help the decision-makers at the Malta FA to devise their future strategies with a clear, fresh mind.

Our game is at a crossroads. The national team is always regarded as the public face of Maltese football and as such, it should be handled professionally.

Of immediate concern is the appointment of a new national coach. Siegfried Held's contract is over and the German had repeatedly stated that the qualifier in Antalya was his last match in charge.

The appointment of a new coach is considered a very important event in our sport. In the light of the vocal criticism of their obsession with foreign coaches, the Malta FA must delve into the issue carefully before they finalise their search for the new 'messiah'.

It is an open secret that the health of our game is poor as highlighted by the drop in attendances for last season's Premier League matches. The few remaining aficionados of Maltese football dearly want the crowds to return to the stands and the MFA are no exception.

So let's seize this positive moment by making decisions aimed at restoring faith in our football. The choice of national coach can be an influential factor in more ways than one.

I have said this many times and I will say it again... for me, the issue is not whether the national coach is local or foreign. Why should we always distinguish between local and foreign? After all, the MFA technical centre have been organising intense UEFA courses to enhance the level of local coaches.

In the Premier League, most of the teams are led by Maltese coaches and some of them have proved to be more than adequate.

We have no competitive commitments before the start of the World Cup qualifiers next year and this has paved the way for suggestions that the MFA may delay the appointment of a new coach. Other important decisions on the national team are also expected in the coming weeks as the MFA have resolved to make a detailed evaluation of its set-up.

The issue has already been briefly discussed with representatives of the players earlier this week. They had a meeting with MFA officials, including Dr Joe Mifsud and new national teams' secretary Ivan Vella.

This is certainly the opportune time for the MFA to adopt a holistic approach when in the process of revising and modifying strategies.

The clubs are the lifeblood of Maltese football and they have to take a pro-active part in this decision-making process. This apparent disparity between national team and clubs is not doing any good.

Only if the clubs get up on their feet can we aspire to have a better national team, one that can repeat Wednesday's result more regularly.

In the meantime, Malta's 'sabbatical' from competitive football has to be exploited in an effective way. The new coach, whoever he is, should work to enhance the competitive edge of our players.

Etienne Barbara's vintage debut showed that we have some up-and-coming players who can be an asset to the national team. Barbara and the likes of Antoine Zahra, Justin Haber, Kevin Sammut, Ian Azzopardi and Roderick Briffa should be promoted with the 'A' squad to improve their potential.

Mark Miller, the U-21 coach, believes that Malta will have a crop of talented players in the near future and I agree with him.

Even though the dismal scoring record of the U-21s hardly vindicates Miller's prediction, there are some players, even in the U-19 squad, who clearly have a bright future ahead of them.

But such players are still on a learning curve and that's why the MFA's plans for its national teams' set-up will play a decisive role.

These players have to hone their skills, especially the proverbial first touch and final pass, and a concerted effort must be made to help our youngsters exorcise the perennial psychological inhibitions which hamper them in the international area.

On many an occasion, our players' self-confidence is so low, that they freeze when a scoring chance falls their way. Those who watched the matches in Antalya will know what I mean.

National pride also leaves much to be desired among our youngsters. I have heard some comments about members of the U-19 and U-21 squad showing an indifferent attitude to the senior team's commitment in their match against Israel.

Why should our boys, our future football ambassadors, behave like this?

It could be that this contribution will come as a surprise in the aftermath of Malta's success in obtaining a point against Israel.

The objective is certainly not to detract the merits from the players and coach, not at all.

My words are aimed at encouraging a proper soul-searching exercise by all parties in the football equation so that we can really start to talk about the start of a revival of the beautiful game in Malta.