Defender Luke Dimech hopes the national team will silence their fiercest critics tonight against Italy after admitting that disparaging comments about the team’s commitment in the 6-0 defeat to Bulgaria have upset the players.
“For me, the Italy game is no different than the others,” the 36-year-old Valletta defender told The Times.
“We’re not like those fans who will be there only because Malta is playing Italy.
“We treat every game seriously. We will give our all to get a positive result and give a good account of ourselves against a top team like Italy.”
Dimech, one of the most experienced players in the national squad, also dismissed suggestions that the players failed to put in a decent effort against Bulgaria for fear of sustaining an injury or a yellow card that would have ruled them out of today’s qualifier.
“There has been a lot of negative talk about us after the Bulgaria game,” Dimech said.
“There were several factors that led to that defeat. The conditions didn’t help us plus this Bulgaria team is young, strong and fast.
“We struggled badly but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t try out best or that we were not fully committed because we were already thinking about the Italy game.
“It doesn’t work like that. How can a player think only of the next game when you can be suspended or lose your place in the team?
“The most important thing is that we try to rectify the mistakes we made against Bulgaria. It was a match where everything went wrong for us and I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
The disappointment caused by the poor showing in Sofia has not dampened Dimech’s optimism about Malta’s chances of gaining a creditable result tonight.
“We are always working to raise our levels,” Dimech said.
“If we play as a team, we have a chance of getting a satisfactory result against Italy. But we should always be realistic. We’re facing world-class players who earn millions of euros whereas we’re a tiny country with so many limitations.”
Dimech is now urging his team-mates to do their talking on the pitch.
“We have to go out there and silence our critics,” Dimech said.
“We’ve been hurt by certain comments because, as I said, we always try to give our maximum.
“We turned up at the airport at 4am and travelled for about 10 hours before arriving in Sofia. We make sacrifices to play for our country but unfortunately our efforts are hardly appreciated.
“And then, because 17,000 people are coming to the stadium to watch the game against Italy, they’re telling us to roll up our socks. These people should know that we do this in each and every one of our games.
“You hardly hear a complaint if a Maltese representative fails to advance in the Olympic Games but it’s not the same when Malta lose a football match.
“People must realise this because when you feel that there’s a lack of appreciation for your efforts, you start to question whether it’s worth all the hassle.
“Everyone got lambasted after Bulgaria, the players, coaches, MFA officials, when all of them are working really hard for the good of Maltese football.”
A mainstay in the team since reversing his decision to quit international football following his fallout with former national coach John Buttigieg, Dimech is usually one of Malta’s most reliable performers but on Friday he committed a costly mistake that led to Bulgaria’s fourth goal.
“After the game, I said sorry to the coach because I knew I should have done better,” Dimech said.
“Now, we must forget all about Bulgaria and pull the rope together to make sure that we don’t flop again.
“As always, we must be mentally strong and play with a lot of grit and determination.”