Buttigieg strikes right note

A conservative person by nature, John Buttigieg is unlikely to read much into Malta's 2-0 victory over Georgia but the new coach is entitled to derive encouragement from the team's bold showing on Wednesday night.

First impressions are indeed positive as the players applied themselves with vigour, in so doing allaying early doubts about their level of commitment and discipline under the new coaching regime.

Georgia may not belong to the bracket of European heavyweights but they are 43 places above Malta in the FIFA rankings and came here with a squad brimming with foreign-based players, not to mention the reputation of their coach Hector Cuper whose CV includes spells at top clubs like Valencia and Inter.

Cuper cut a desolate figure on the bench as his team were made to look ordinary by Malta who, having held their own in a balanced but generally drab first half, upped the tempo of their game in the second to rattle Georgia with two exquisite Michael Mifsud goals.

Not for the first time in his career, Mifsud claimed the headlines but as Buttigieg stressed in the after-match news conference, all the Malta players contributed to Wednesday's morale-boosting win.

"All the players deserve credit for this result," Buttigieg said. "They really gave their all but as I remarked in the pre-match news conference, there were times during the match when they suffered from a loss of concentration.

"We need to improve on this aspect but I'm pleased with the team's performance. Before the match, I called on the players to show 100 per cent commitment and they did what I expected of them."

Mifsud sees himself as a forward and his two-goal contribution against Georgia ought to have increased his prospects of holding down the striker's position for the national team under Buttigieg and assistant coach Carmel Busuttil.

His decisive impact also reignited suggestions that Malta are heavily dependant on Mifsud to score goals but this notion doesn't cut ice with Buttigieg.

"It's not surprising that Michael got the goals for us because he was the most advanced player in our team," Buttigieg remarked. "But Michael can't do anything on his own.

"Without the support of his team-mates, Michael would haven't been able to score today. For the second goal, he received a great pass from Roderick Briffa."

Mifsud has yet to join a club after his contract with Coventry City expired at the end of last season. Transfer stories about the 28-year-old striker have been scarce this summer but it is known that a host of overseas clubs have made enquiries about Mifsud.

His inclusion in the Malta team for Wednesday's friendly came as a surprise to some amid concerns over his match fitness, but Mifsud certainly justified his selection.

Buttigieg was asked if he was worried about Mifsud's situation at club level.

"To some extent, I'm worried for him because a player needs to be with a club to train and prosper," Buttigieg said. "However, I'm convinced that sooner rather than later, Mifsud will come to tell you that he has signed for a club."

Buttigieg's decision to award a first-team recall to Brian Said, who had fallen behind in the defenders' pecking order under Dusan Fitzel, was also viewed as a sign that the new coach is not thinking about ditching the old guard, as some might have expected.

Said's chances of starting Wednesday's friendly were also aided by the omission of 'hair rebel' Luke Dimech and the unfit Jonathan Caruana. During Wednesday's news conference, there was no mention of Dimech's absence but Buttigieg, perhaps, wanted to send out a message to the Valletta defender when fielding a question about the inclusion of captain Gilbert Agius, goalkeeper Mario Muscat and Said in his starting formation.

"Age is not an issue in so far as selection of players is concerned," Buttigieg said. "The likes of Brian Said, Gilbert Agius and Mario Muscat are still valid players and as long as they show the right attitude and continue to perform well, I see no reason why they shouldn't continue to form part of the squad.

"As a coach, I will only look at the age of players when I'm planning for the future of the team."

Tactics-wise, Buttigieg stuck with 4-2-3-1, Fitzel's preferred approach during his tenure as Malta coach. By and large, all the players acquitted themselves well but, apart from Mifsud, Andrei Agius caught the eye with some timely interceptions, Gilbert Agius and Jamie Pace put in another impressive shift in midfield and Andrew Cohen showed some neat touches, albeit occasionally.

In the second half, goalkeeper Andrew Hogg earned the plaudits with a string of saves, including one from a strong header that looked destined to send the net bulging.

The majority of the players in Buttigieg's 18-man squad for Wednesday's match will be upbeat about their chances of staying in contention for next month's qualifier at home to Sweden. Their efforts were praised by Buttigieg.

"They've shown that they can do a job and therefore deserve to remain in the squad for the next few matches," Buttigieg said.

As part of their preparations for the qualifier against Sweden (September 9), Malta will play a friendly match against Cape Verde Islands on September 4.