Miller urges 'older' players to live up to expectations

The more experienced players in Malta's U-21 squad have been urged to live up to expectations or face exclusion from the group. Coach Mark Miller's stern warning came on the eve of the Group One qualifier against Cyprus at the Makarion Stadium (today - kick-off 5 p.m., Malta time.)

"If certain older players in my squad don't perform, what's the point of continuing with them when you have promising players who have more years of football ahead of them at this level," Miller said.

"I will not tolerate poor performances from the older players. I have told each one of them that I need them in the team but they have to lead by example," Miller added.

Antoine Zahra, the Hibernians striker, is one of the established players in the squad from whom Miller clearly expects better things.

"He can give us that bit of spark which can help the team a lot during games. I'm sure Cyprus don't have a player like Zahra in their ranks. If they have, that means trouble for us.

"Zahra is quick and agile and I'm happy to have him in my team. I'm just hoping he can start to show his true worth on the pitch which, so far, he has not done. To be fair with him, he has been carrying an injury for the last few months now and this is the first time that he's 100 per cent fit. I hope he will provide the inspiration when we face Cyprus," Miller said.

How much Miller would do with some inspiration from his older players today, especially in view of the fact that Etienne Barbara, the team's talisman in defence, is not available for selection. He has been slapped with an indefinite suspension after a training incident a few weeks ago.

"With Etienne, we are taking every day as it comes basically. I have never doubted his ability as a player but football is a teamsport and he must realise that. The situation regarding Barbara has been dealt with. The player came to apologise to Horst Heese, the technical director, and myself. He's now waiting for us to call him back for training," Miller said.

Barbara's void in the heart of defence will be filled by Lee Lombardi. The sturdy Pietà Hotspurs defender is back in the frame after a lengthy lay-off.

"Lee lacks match fitness but he is a valid player. The lad has a strong personality and is very determined. I'm confident he will be more than an adequate replacement for Barbara," Miller remarked.

Lombardi does not represent the only change in Miller's initial XI from the 3-0 defeat to France at Ta' Qali last month. Marsaxlokk defender Kurt Farrugia has been drafted into the first team instead of Shawn Bajada while Zahra has taken the place of Trevor Cilia.

Brandon Zammit, the Marsaxlokk midfielder, had emerged as one of the team's most useful attacking assets against Macedonia (friendly) and Slovenia (qualifier) but he has not even been called to the 18-man squad this time round.

Miller explained that Zammit has not trained with the U-21s for the past few weeks.

"I have not seen Brandon for a number of weeks now. It's a shame because I really thought he was one of the most talented players in the group. But it seems work pressure has impeded him from focusing on his football. That's tough luck and I presume he must be very frustrated with the situation as well," the Malta U-21 coach commented.

Miller admitted to knowing very little about Cyprus's U-21 team in spite of the fact that only a week ago he was guiding the Malta U-19s in a UEFA tournament in Limassol.

"I didn't manage to get much information about them. The Cypriot people are very shrewd when it comes to giving out information about their teams. One thing I know for sure is that they have made big steps forward," Miller said.

The experience gleaned from leading the Malta U-19s in last week's UEFA competition will be used to try and boost the U-21 team's chances of gaining a positive result.

"I must say I have learnt a few things during the U-19 tournament," Miller remarked. "I'm always trying to learn different approaches which could help our teams when facing strong opposition.

"I have a little plan in mind. We intend to make life a bit uncomfortable for Cyprus. Their U-19s favoured a 3-5-2 formation and I expect the U-21s to play the same. But whether it's three or four at the back, it does not really matter.

"On many an occasion, I have noticed that foreign teams tend to play diagonal balls during games and that has been causing our teams plenty of problems. We have been working hard on that during training... trying to keep everything simple but with loads of repetitions. I want my players to opt for diagonal balls in an attempt to unsettle the opposition," the former Sliema Wanderers and Hibernians mentor remarked.

Future players

Miller added that young Lija Athletic player Alex Muscat is in line for a call-up to the U-21 squad after his outstanding performances throughout the UEFA mini-tournament.

The progress of Jonathan Fenech, the Blackpool striker who also turned out for the Malta U-19 team in Cyprus, will also be monitored further by the Malta FA technical staff after his positive contribution for the U-19s.

The Malta U-21 squad had two training sessions in Nicosia yesterday. In the morning, Miller put his players through their paces at a local training ground. The evening's session was held at the Makarion Stadium.