Natural talent, hard work and perseverance have enabled André Schembri to forge a successful footballing career.
Now plying his trade at German second division club FSV Frankfurt after a positive two-year spell with AC Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus, Schembri is unfazed by the demands of the international game but is aware that the limitations of Maltese football make it very difficult for the national team to flourish.
“It’s the same story for us,” Schembri told Times of Malta in Zagreb.
“Our squad is not all full-time professionals as most of the players have to work and train.
“When we play against a strong team like Croatia, who have top players who turn out for Real Madrid and Barcelona, it is very tough but in every game we try to make it difficult for the opposition.”
An automatic choice for Malta for much of the past decade, Schembri played off Michael Mifsud in the Slovakia friendly as coach Pietro Ghedin opted for two strikers in a reshaped 3-5-2 formation.
The 28-year-old welcomed the tactical switch.
“It worked,” Schembri said.
“We started with 3-5-2 but this often changes to 5-3-2 because we spend a lot of time defending during games. We were compact at the back and closed the spaces well. For us, it’s important to restrict the spaces because if you open up, you concede goals.
“This system has given us added protection and I believe that it suits our team.
“Even in the constructive phase, it can be useful because we are playing with a diamond-shaped midfield and against Slovakia, we moved the ball better.”
The 28-year-old Schembri had an outstanding year with Omonia but admitted that the second division championship in Germany is significantly more challenging than the top league in Cyprus.
High tempo
Schembri said: “In Cyprus, the top six teams are very strong but the rest are average.
“In Germany, there are no weak sides, not even in division two. We beat Nuremberg who have ambitions to win promotion to the Bundesliga and drew with Red Bull Leipzig.
“I’m still getting used to the tempo as the German league is also very physical.”
Schembri is one of the senior players in the national side.
Playing abroad for the past seven years has helped him raise his game significantly as his performances for Malta attest.
“I think it makes a big difference,” Schembri said.
“When I was at Marsaxlokk, for example, the step-up from domestic football to facing top players in international football was huge.
“Now my situation is different. I feel more at ease playing this kind of games because the level is very much the same as in the leagues that I’ve been playing in.
“Even the training is high-tempo. At FSV Frankfurt, there are other international players, including two who play for Albania and one from Finland.”
Switching his attention back to Croatia, Schembri believes that Malta will grow in the game if they don’t concede early.
“As I said, it’s no easy task but if we avoid an early goal and gain in confidence, we can maybe pull off a miracle... and we have seen that miracles do happen in football.”