Malta players must show their character against Andorra, says coach Marcolini

Malta will be determined to put behind them their opaque showing against Moldova when they take on Andorra in their second showing in the UEFA Nations League tonight (kick-off: 8.45pm).

Michele Marcolini’s men are still licking their wounds after their very poor performance in Chisinau which condemned the team to a damaging 2-0 defeat that left their hopes of winning promotion to League C in tatters.

Since that defeat in Moldova, Marcolini has tried to regroup his players and his main focus on their arrival in Andorra was to try and help his team to turn the page and play their best football in a bid to pick up the three points and revive their UEFA Nations League campaign.

“We are all disappointed after the bad result against Moldova on Saturday,” Marcolini told the Times of Malta.

“There is a clear willingness among all the players to ensure we gain a positive result. To achieve that we need to show our character and prove that we are a much better team than the one that took the pitch at the Chisinau Stadium.”

Andorra main not be seen as major force in football but Marcolini is still wary on the threat they pose for the Maltese team.

Malta have first-hand experience of how tricky the Andorrans can be at home as in 2020, under the charge of Devis Mangia, the team could not go beyond a goalless draw in La Vella.

Marcolini warned his players that the Andorra will be a tough nut to crack and pointed at their physical power as their major threat.

“Andorra is a team that make their opponents play badly because of their aggressivity and their attitude on the pitch,” Marcolini said.

“Usually, they play very direct football, and we will have to ensure that we win a lot of duels expecially in the air if we are to gain a positive result. As soon as we have the ball in our feet, we need to create attacking play with much more quality than we did in Moldova.”

Marcolini admitted that he is set to make a few changes to the starting formation as he believes there needs to be an injection of energy in the team.

“⁠Yes, there will be some changes,” Marcolini told the Times of Malta.

“The last match gave me some indications, good for some players and bad for others. We need to have 11 players who are ready to deliver as this is a must-win match for us.

“The fact that we are playing our second match in the space of three days after a very long trip is also something that I need to take into consideration.

“No doubt, I will effect some turnover.”

Teddy Teuma was a big miss in Moldova as the influential midfielder was only included as a second-half substitute as he had yet to fully recover from injury.

Marcolini said that he is hopeful that he will be able to count on the Stade Reims midfielder from the start.

“I am pleased to say that ⁠Teddy managed his problem very well in the last minutes of the match played last weekend,” the Italian said.

“He felt good feelings during the match and fortunately, his reaction these days was really good. We will assess tomorrow if he will be part of the starting team or not. But hopefully, he will be ready.”

Criticism

Marcolini is not surprised by the heavy criticism the team received after the Moldova defeat but said the only way the players can respond is to play their best game on the pitch.

“When you have a bad result after a poor performance it is normal that you receive criticism,” Marcolini said.

“It is part of football. It’s useless to say by words that we will react if we don’t prove it on the pitch.

“We have to take the pitch keen and eager to win this match. The only way we have to win this match is that we show the right attitude and character.”