Rookies Doncic and Falzon rise to the challenge

Amidst the thrills and spills of the opening weeks of the 2007-08 Premier League, two rookie coaches have shown themselves to be more than capable of mixing it with the big boys.

All the talk in pre-season had been on the enticing prospect of a fierce title duel between big-spenders Sliema Wanderers and Valletta, two teams spearheaded by two of the most-respected coaches in Maltese football in Ray Farrugia and Paul Zammit.

These two heavyweights are still tipped for starring roles in the race for the league crown, but the impact newcomers Danilo Doncic and Joey Falzon have had on their teams has brought some much-needed freshness to the Premier League environment.

Precedence must be given to Doncic who, having taken charge of Floriana in summer, has surprised one and sundry by taking the Greens to the summit of the Premier League.

"This is my first coaching experience in the Premier League but I'm pleased with the progress of the team so far," Doncic said.

"My players know exactly what I expect from them and our early targets are being met.

"In the early days of our pre-season training, I outlined my plans and objectives to the Floriana players and they have responded well so far."

Floriana have been the revelation of the season so far, an assertion backed by their position atop the standings with 13 points from six matches. Having opened their campaign with a 3-2 victory over rivals Valletta, the Greens went on to take maximum spoils from their next two games before drawing 2-2 with Sliema.

Their fifth outing ended in a 3-2 defeat to Marsaxlokk, their first of the season, but on Monday, it was business as usual for the Greens after a 4-0 rout of Pietà Hotspurs.

"To be honest, I didn't expect my team to lead the Premier League for the first six weeks of the season," Doncic remarked.

"We've been working extremely hard to reach this level. We had an excellent pre-season training camp in Serbia where, thanks also to the sterling contribution of my assistant coaches, Aleksandar Rosig and Milos Basic, I tried to maximise the physical and technical capabilities of our team.

"However, at that early stage, we couldn't gauge the true potential of the team vis-à-vis the other teams in the Premier League but after the first six matches, Floriana have proved that they can compete with anyone in the Premier League."

A deadly finisher during his glittering spell in Maltese football, Doncic, who has a UEFA A Licence, is still cutting his teeth, coaching-wise.

His career took off last year when he was appointed player-coach of Division One team San Gwann. A nagging hip problem forced Doncic to hang up his boots in January and concentrate exclusively on coaching but his efforts did not suffice to save San Gwann from relegation.

Nevertheless, Doncic has fond memories of his first coaching experience.

"I enjoyed the time I spent as coach of San Gwann," Doncic remarked. "It was part of my learning curve but the experience was great.

"Personally, I think that coaching a Premier League side is less difficult than heading a Division One team. In the first division, the teams are amateurs and there were players at my club who weren't even getting paid.

"In such circumstances, it's hard to have all the squad coming for training but for me that was also a challenge. I did my best to make my training sessions as interesting and stimulating as possible to keep the players motivated.

"At Floriana, I have no such problems. We can train Saturday, Sunday, whenever, and the players would still attend because they are obliged to and because they are enjoying what they're doing."

Doncic echoed the general view that there is more equilibrium among Premier League teams this season.

"I think that there has been a significant improvement in the way all teams in the Premier League are approaching matches," Doncic said. "Better preparation is, in my view, the main reason behind the surprising results we've had lately."

The Floriana mentor can only be positive about his team's chances of gaining a place in the Championship Pool.

"I'm positive about reaching the Championship Pool but it's not going to be easy," Doncic said.

"You only have to look at the table to understand the reasoning behind my argument. We are only seven points ahead of Pietà who are seventh at the moment."

Although Sliema and Valletta have lacked the consistency to vindicate their title ambitions, Doncic still ranks his two former clubs as the likely favourites for the title.

"I still think that Valletta and Sliema will be the main challengers," Doncic, 38, commented.

"They are still searching for their best formation and their best form but I think they will come good as the season goes on."

Like Doncic, Falzon is still learning his ropes as a football coach but Mqabba's spirited performances so far suggest that the former Zurrieq midfielder is learning fast.

True, Mqabba are still bottom of the class with only three points from six matches but they followed up their gallant display in a 3-1 loss to Valletta with an excellent 3-2 win over Sliema.

"I was confident that, sooner rather than later, we would get off the mark but I didn't expect that to happen against Sliema," Falzon told The Times.

"Apart from a poor first half in the 2-0 defeat to Hibs, our performances have been generally good.

"I have always believed that my team can hold their own in the Premier League but we're still a bit short in terms of experience.

"After going 2-0 ahead, I didn't expect Sliema to get back at two-all but the most important thing is that we managed to score the winner."

Mqabba's young players and coach are in the same boat in that both have had to raise their standards after the team gained promotion to the top flight for the first time in 13 years.

"The difference between Premier League and Division One football is massive," Falzon said.

"Even from a coaching point-of-view, you must modify the team's training schedule because in the first division, we usually played a game every three weeks whereas now, we're playing every week.

"The quality of the players and speed of the game are also higher than in Division One."

Mqabba are justifiably on a high after their astounding victory over Sliema but Falzon warned against complacency.

"We must keep our feet on the ground," Falzon said. "The game against Sliema is part of the past.

"My hope is that this victory will give us a significant boost but we shouldn't fall into the trap of taking things for granted just because we had one positive result."

The unpredictability that has characterised the Premier League so far is good news for the minnows but Falzon does not expect the current state of things to persist for much longer.

"I think the complexion of the league will change in the coming months," Falzon said.

"Injuries and suspensions will have an effect on the course of the league, especially for those teams who don't possess large squads."