Coach Scerri lauds players for historic qualification

Maltese football received a much-needed boost on the international scene last week when the national U-17 side made it to the Elite Round of the 2010 European Championship qualifiers.

A superb 2-1 win over the Netherlands and a goalless draw against hosts Andorra meant that the Maltese youngsters finished third in Group 8 with four points from three matches. Charles Scerri’s boys progressed to the next round as one of the two best third-placed sides, an historic feat for local football as it was the first time a youth team advanced past the first qualifying round of a European Championship.

Scerri paid tribute to his players. “I’m really proud of the players,” Scerri, who played 63 times for Malta, told The Times yesterday.

“They really deserve all the praise and credit for this historic achievement because they have worked really hard for it. We had been preparing for this tournament since July and each member of the squad made huge sacrifices to ensure that they were ready for the challenge. I’m pleased that their efforts have been rewarded.”

For Scerri, the success of the U-17 selection in the European qualifiers tastes sweeter as it came just a few months after he took charge of the team. The former Hibs stalwart replaced Oliver Spiteri who is now at the helm of Division One side Mosta.

“I must admit that I never imagined that I would obtain this result only a few months after becoming coach of the U-17s,” Scerri remarked.

“From a personal perspective, this UEFA mini-tournament was not my first as I was involved in similar competitions during my time as assistant coach of the Malta U-19s.

“Facing teams of the calibre of the Netherlands, who have many players from the famous Ajax academy, was a big challenge for us, so you can imagine my satisfaction when we beat them 2-1.

“But, as I said, all the credit should go to the players. They were the ones who put our instructions into practice. We have a very talented group of players who have a very bright future, provided they continue to work hard.”

Now that Malta have secured a place in the Elite Round, Scerri is already planning to step up his team’s preparations ahead of the upcoming qualifying group scheduled for March 2010.

The draws of the Elite Round will be held in December. The 28 qualifiers will be split into seven groups of four teams with the top-placed side progressing to the finals tournament which will be held in Liechtenstein in May.

“Irrespective of the outcome of the draw, we know that the group will be a difficult one for us,” Scerri admitted.

“We are going to play against the best teams in the U-17 category and we have to make sure that we are well prepared.

“I have given my players some days off to concentrate on their club assignments but in the next few weeks, I will be preparing a training programme with our fitness coach Luca Pagani to make sure that we are fully-prepared for the tournament.

“Furthermore, I will talk to Malta FA officials to try and arrange a number of inter­national friendlies. It’s imperative that we play against top-quality opposition on a regular basis as such friendlies will help the players adapt quicker to the demands of next year’s tournament.”

The Malta U-17 coach has also confirmed that, over the coming months, he will continue to monitor the progress of other interesting youngsters who are not part of the squad at present.

“There are still four months left before the Elite Round group and during this time, all the players in our squad will have to show that they deserve to be part of our group,” Scerri said.

“In Andorra, we had some players missing through injury. I will also be keeping a close eye on a number of players who have impressed at the start of the season with a view to including them in the squad.

“At the moment, we have 26 players and nobody’s place is guaranteed. All those players who show that they have the ability and the willingness to help our team’s cause will be added to the squad.”