Sliema Wanderers coach Paul Zammit has called on his players to be more consistent throughout the whole match as the Premier League leaders prepare to face neighbouring rivals Sliema Wanderers in a derby at the National Stadium on Saturday evening (kick-off: 6pm).
At present, the Wanderers are currently leading the way in the 360 Sports Malta Premier on ten points, level with Birkirkara and just one clear of Gżira United who have enjoyed a solid start to the campaign.
Sliema has been a very solid outfit this season and is the only team in the top-flight that has yet to concede a goal after four matches, apart from enjoying an unbeaten record.
But still, coach Zammit is not happy with his team’s displays and wants to see more from his players.
“In general it has been a very positive start for us this season,” Zammit said.
“The players are working very hard to match the high standards I have set to them at the start of the season and in terms of results it has been very positive.
“Everyone is impressed that we have yet to concede a goal, but honestly it is not something that I look much at. What is more important for me is that we try to produce a high-level performance consistently throughout the whole 90 minutes.
“This is something that we are struggling to achieve. If you look at our match against Marsaxlokk we played, in my opinion, our best football during the first half where we should have scored more than one goal.
“But then in the second half, our performance dipped and we started to give the ball away cheaply with the result that Marsaxlokk were starting to put a lot of pressure on us and could have easily levelled the match.
“But I was pleased with the reaction of the players who managed to fend off Marsaxlokk’s efforts and we got the win.
“Still, we need to take that as a warning sign as we can’t risk to switch off during matches as we will surely be punished.”
Asked about his opinion on Gżira United, Zammit said that he had been impressed by their progress this season.
“There are a lot of positive comments to make on Gżira United as they have grown a lot as a team and have a very clear playing identity,” Zammit said.
“This summer they have brought in several foreign players who have a lot of experience in the Premier League so they didn’t need any time to settle down and they started to deliver immediately.
“They have players who single-handedly can decide the course of a match so we need to be very careful. It’s going to be another difficult test and one that we need to show our best qualities as we surely can’t afford to drop any points given the great level of competition that exists in the league this season.”
The Blues will be without Geoffrey Acheampong who underwent foot surgery during the international break and is out for three weeks.
Steve Pisani said that he is pleased to have decided to join Sliema’s project and said that for him it’s a continuous challenge to prove himself given the great quality of players that there is in the squad.
“I don’t think I could have made a better decision than to join Sliema Wanderers,” Pisani said.
“When I sat down with the coach in the close season I liked what he told me about the goals we are trying to achieve. It has been a great experience so far and there is great competition for places.
“Each week you have to work really hard to prove yourself as you know that if you don’t deliver you will end up out of the starting XI. But that is a great positive as we know that we have a strong squad and certainly we can aspire to achieve the objectives the club has set for us.”
Andrew Cohen, the Gżira United coach, has also been working wonders at his club as during the summer he has managed to assemble a very competitive team that so far has defied expectations and look a good bet to at least finish in the top six at the end of the first phase.
“This is going to be our toughest test for us as Sliema are without doubt the strongest team in the division,” Cohen said of his impending opponents.
“Sliema have yet to conceded a goal and have been very consistent in terms of results. They have brought in some quality signings that further strengthened an already strong squad so we know that we are in for a very tough challenge.
“Unfortunately, we have yet to field all the players we brought in this summer as we had players like Enrico Pepe who could not play due to injuries but now it looks that we have recovered a lot of players and we are looking forward to try and give Sliema a good run for their money.
“What I expect from my players tomorrow is that they are tactically very disciplined and try and give their 100 per cent.
“Sometimes results are beyond our control but we need to make sure that we leave the pitch with no recriminations that we could have done more.”
Gabriel Mentz, the Gżira defender, said that they are aware of the fact that they will be playing against a top side but it’s a challenge that they are relishing.
“Sliema are one of the best teams in the division and for sure it’s going to be a tough match for us,” Mentz said.
“These are still early days and you can’t talk about decisive matches. However, given how tough the championship is this year it’s important that we continue to build on our positive start of the season.
“There are no easy games in the Premier League and each year all the teams are lifting the bar in terms of performances so you need to be always ready to battle.”
