Ghedin eyes dignified showing in little-large clash with Italy

Honour and respect.

We can’t complain about our defensive options, it’s the attack that needs improving because we were in pieces against Armenia.

These are the objectives Pietro Ghedin has set Malta ahead of their encounter with Italy at the Alberto Braglia Stadium tonight but he readily acknowledges that his team would be asking for trouble if they repeat the insipid performance in the 1-0 defeat to Armenia on Friday.

“We want to play well and leave the pitch with our heads held high,” Ghedin said on the eve of today’s Group B qualifier which is being played in Modena as a sign of solidarity with the victims of the recent earthquake in the Emilia Romagna region.

“If, at the end of the match, we get an applause from the crowd, that would be a bonus. Italy are one of the strongest footballing nations and they’ve earned this reputation because they’re doing very well.”

Ghedin could not have hoped for a better start to his second stint as Malta coach after leading the team to friendly wins over Luxembourg (2-0) and San Marino (3-2) in his first two games in charge but on Friday, his players were found wanting as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Armenia in their opening 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Friday’s showing angered Ghedin.

“Against Armenia, we played at 20 per cent of our level,” he claimed.

“We were not assertive... the team looked scared. If our performance was even half as good as that against Luxembourg, it would have been a different story.

“Some players succumbed to the pressure. Armenia have a strong team but we played with seven men not 11 because three or four of them gave very little during the game.

“Our attacking play was poor. A player can commit a mistake during a game, that’s accepted, but it’s a different matter altogether when the commitment and the physical condition are lacking.

“There were some who also looked tired. That said, I’m convinced that we can do it. We can’t change the mentality but we definitely have to improve it together and believe in what we’re doing.

“I don’t expect a lot from my players. What I do expect is that we play with 11 men.”

In Friday’s game, Malta set out in a 4-2-3-1 formation but Ghedin revealed that he’s thinking of switching to 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 for today’s match.

“We will try to change something (from the Armenia match) otherwise Italy will slaughter us on the flanks,” Ghedin said.

“We must be more aggressive and more compact. If we don’t play with a lot of tenacity, we will struggle.”

On a more uplifting note, Ghedin will have been heartened by Malta’s resolute defending in Friday’s qualifier.

“We have two good defenders, Jonathan Caruana and Ryan Camilleri, who are also in the squad,” he pointed out.

“We can’t complain about our defensive options, it’s the attack that needs improving because we were in pieces against Armenia.”

Although Ghedin is demanding a much-improved performance tonight, he has ruled out the possibility of reshuffling his team.

“There will be one change in the team, not more,” Ghedin said.

“We can’t change many players.”

Andrew Hogg should be confirmed in goal after his fine display on Friday. The same goes for central defenders Andrei Agius and Luke Dimech and Alex Muscat and Steve Borg, who occupied the left- and right-back positions respectively against Armenia.

Gareth Sciberras and Roderick Briffa will take up the deep-lying positions in midfield but Ghedin’s plan to play 4-4-2 suggests that either Andrew Cohen or Daniel Bogdanovic may be dropped in favour of a more industrious midfielder.

Edward Herrera and Ryan Fenech are both in the running for a first-team place. Up front, Ghedin is set to keep faith with Michael Mifsud and Andre Schembri.

The Malta squad had a training session at the Alberto Braglia Stadium yesterday morning.

Italy, the Euro 2012 runners-up, will be on a hiding to nothing tonight as anything less than a resounding win over Malta would be considered a failure, moreso in light of their up-and-down performance in last week’s 2-2 draw against Bulgaria.

“It’s clear, Italy want to win so badly,” Ghedin said.

“A lot has been said about their match last week but Bulgaria were strong opponents.

“Italy still showed that they have a great team and there is no doubting their strength. When you are accustomed to playing well, the expectations are always high.”

Having branded Italy’s performance against Bulgaria as “insufficient”, coach Cesare Prandelli is widely expected to tweak his choice of tactics and personnel amid suggestions of a return to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

“I expect Italy to play 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2,” Ghedin said.

“Osvaldo and probably Destro will be the two forwards while Diamanti could play behind. I think Italy will pay more attention to covering the flanks.”

For many years, Ghedin was a member of the FIGC’s technical staff, having occupied various roles from assistant to the Azzurri coach to head coach of the Italian women’s national team.

The affable 59-year-old will sit in the opposition dug-out tonight but he’s looking forward to meeting some of his former colleagues.

“I’ve done everything with the FIGC,” Ghedin said.

“I’ve been to World Cups and Euro Championships, Olympic Games and also coached the U-23, U-18 and women’s teams. They (the people at the FIGC) are like brothers. For me this game feels like a homecoming... it’s a nice feeling.”

Meanwhile, Italy held an open training session at the Alberto Braglia Stadium yesterday evening.

Before the session, Italy coach Prandelli addressed a news conference.

Describing Malta as a balanced team, Prandelli, like many other coaches before him, singled out Michael Mifsud as the most dangerous player in Ghedin's team.

Past encounters...

Euro Championship
06-12-1986: Malta-Italy - 0-2
24-01-1987: Italy-Malta - 5-0

World Cup
19-12-1992: Malta-Italy - 2-1
24-03-1993: Italy-Malta - 6-1

Formations (probable)

Italy: G. Buffon, M. Cassani, A. Barzagli, L. Bonucci, F. Peluso, A. Nocerino, A. Pirlo, C. Marchisio, A. Diamanti, M. Destro, P. Osvaldo.

Malta: A. Hogg, A. Muscat, G. Sciberras, A. Agius, L. Dimech, D. Bogdanovic/R. Fenech, R. Briffa, M. Mifsud, A. Cohen/E. Herrera, A. Schembri, S. Borg.

Referee: Antti Munukka (Finland FA).

Kick-off: 20.45, Modena.