Miller's boys look to halt Croatian march - March 29, 2005

A string of commendable performances have heightened the reputation of the Malta U-21 team as well as that of coach Mark Miller.

Their progress has also helped to raise the value in the transfer market of most of the U-21 players as testified by the January moves of Andrè Schembri, Cleaven Frendo and Shaun Bajada. All three joined Mar-saxlokk who are reportedly pondering a bid to lure Miller to their ranks.

Domestic matters will not have been uppermost in the minds of the U-21 squad over the last week, though. As they geared up for a difficult encounter with Croatia this afternoon in Zagreb, they know that another satisfactory result would further strengthen the team's image in the eyes of the fans.

Although Croatia are widely regarded as one of the best teams in Group Eight of the UEFA U-21 qualifying campaign, the vibes emanating from the Malta camp are encouraging after the team's results in friendly matches played over the last few months.

Apart from a 1-0 defeat to Turkey U-20, the team had the better of Italy U-20 3-1, in January, and last month they beat Norway 2-1.

Miller acknowledged that the friendly matches his team were involved in during winter were very useful ahead of today's qualifier against the group leaders who beat Iceland 2-1 on Friday for their fourth consecutive victory.

"Having a friendly match every month since our last qualifier against Hungary helped the squad to remain together as well as giving us the chance to work on a few tactical approaches," Miller said.

"If you haven't played for five months, a trip to Croatia would have been like a step into the unknown. Now it's a different story.

"The players had a great week of training and I'm confident that they will be up for the challenge."

The team's 1-0 home victory over Iceland remains their only win from four qualifiers played so far. In November, Miller's team failed to increase their tally in Group Eight after going down 2-0 to Hungary.

Miller's optimism has not blurred his appreciation of the difficult task awaiting his side at the Velika Gorica Stadium today.

"Croatia are among the strongest in the group," Miller said.

"It will be a tough game for us but we are well prepared. There's a great team spirit. The boys are ready and look to fight for each other."

Miller has made two changes from the team that lost to Turkey, bringing in midfielders Christian Cassar and the promising Dyson Falzon instead of Andrei Agius and Roderick Bajada.

The introduction of Cassar and Falzon will not necessitate a tactical change though.

"I'm at ease with the 4-4-2 set-up because I know that the players are comfortable with it," Miller said.

"When I modified a few things in previous matches, this was done because I was not happy with the physical aspect of our game but, at this stage of the season, we don't need to change.

"The 4-4-2 is simple to play. The players have learnt how to zone together and stay tight. More importantly, the players work hard for each other during games."

Sciberras' day

For team captain Gareth Sciberras today's match will have a double significance.

Sciberras, of Pietà Hotspurs, will be 22 today. Against Croatia, it will be his first competitive match for Malta U-21 after missing out on the previous group qualifiers due to injury.

Meanwhile, Miller is satisfied with the balance he has got in the U-21 squad.

"I know that I've got two or three players for every position who can do a job for the team," Miller said confidently.

"I've got cover for every position but lately, we have been short on defenders. David Camenzuli has now recovered from injury... he's tall, strong and tough."

Apart from Mosta's Falzon, Miller has also promoted another U-19 squad player to his fold - Bernard Paris, the Birkirkara goalkeeper.

Despite playing outside the Premier League, Falzon is still considered as one of the brightest prospects in Maltese football. His inclusion in Miller's starting formation today suggests that the U-21 coach believes that Falzon is now ready to take centre stage at U-21 international level.

"Dyson Falzon has had a difficult period due to injuries and other commitments but he's now close to his best," Miller said.

"Coaches may vary in opinions on different players and I think Dyson has got immense potential.

"During training on Friday, he was outstanding. I chose to start him against Croatia because they have got two really fast flank players and I think Falzon will be a perfect combination with Shaun Bajada to limit their threat on the wing.