This has been a rare week of satisfactory results for the national team and the Under-21 side together as both avoided defeat in international friendlies played at the National Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Edwin Camilleri’s U-21 team were first in action and they almost shocked the more-quoted Wales only to be denied by a late equaliser after new Birkirkara signing Terence Vella had given the Maltese a 1-0 half-time lead.
Fast forward 24 hours and it was the turn of the national team who took on Goran Pandev’s Macedonia in their last warm-up before the start of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
After an abject first-half display, John Buttigieg’s men came to life after the break and not only managed to cancel Ivan Trickovski’s opener, thanks to a superb goal from Michael Mifsud, but also came close to winning the match when the same Malta captain saw his shot hitting the upright.
An interested spectator for both internationals was newly-appointed MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo. Naturally, it was encouraging for him to see the Maltese selections avoiding defeat and, like most of those who attended the matches, could not hide his delight at the satisfactory outcomes even though he was modest in his comments.
“It’s always a pleasure to see the national teams producing their best effort and doing so well. The fans like it,” Darmanin Demajo told The Times yesterday.
“Obviously, the results were pleasing, but we also have to keep in mind these were friendly encounters and we all know that there is a big difference between playing a warm-up and a competitive match on the international scene.
“However, our opponents were not to be discarded and I was very encouraged with what I saw. Certainly, things are looking bright at the moment but only if we keep the hard work going,” Darmanin Demajo warned.
On September 7, Malta U-21 will wrap up their European Championship campaign with an away match against France in Amiens and the national team open their Group F commitments with an away fixture against Israel (September 2) before hosting Latvia at Ta’ Qali on September 7.
Darmanin Demajo said he planned to hold meetings with people from the technical sector in the coming weeks but had no plans in mind to change the current set-up for the time being.
“I think the national team is the least of our worries at the moment,” Darmanin Demajo said.
“From what we saw the squad is doing a great job and the communication between the players and their coaches is optimal. That’s a very positive signal but there is a lot of work to be done to keep the upward trend going. Obviously, we will continue to monitor the situation but at present I think the current set-up should not be altered.”
This week, national coach Buttigieg expressed his concern over the increase in number of foreign players in the Maltese game.
Asked whether he agreed with this new rule, Darmanin Demajo was quite frank in his reply.
“This rule has only been in place a few weeks now so it’s still too early to judge,” he said.
“However, I must point out that the increase in foreign players left a positive impact on the three Maltese clubs in UEFA competitions this summer. This year, I think, we achieved our best performance in many years.
“Notwithstanding that, I agree that we must monitor the situation thoroughly and see how this influx of foreigners will affect the progress of Maltese football in general.
“I would suggest we’ll use the 2010-11 season as an experiment and gather as much information as possible. Then, at the end of the season, the MFA, together with its clubs, will make an assessment. Only then we’ll be in a position to draw conclusions on this matter.”