De Leo wants Malta to be fearless against Finland in World Cup qualifier opener

Malta national teams head coach Emilio De Leo is urging his players to take a fearless approach as they open their World Cup qualifying campaign with a home match against Finland at the National Stadium on Friday  (kick-off: 8.45pm).

For De Leo, this will be his baptism of fire as Malta coach after he was handed the job to replace Michele Marcolini at the helm of the national team.

The Italian coach said that the first impression with his players has been very positive and said that he found great cooperation from his players in learning his football philosophy.

“It has been a very positive experience so far,” De Leo said.

“Since I started the job I had the opportunity to meet with some 50 players with whom I started a human relationship with them while also giving them some indications of my technical and tactical ideas.

“I am very pleased with what I saw from the players as there is a great disponibility from them every day to learn a new football ideology and they are putting maximum effort to learn this new ideas as fast as possible.

“There is a clear determination from the players to start a new cycle in the best possible way.”

Asked on what is he expecting from today’s opponents, Finland, De Leo said that the Nordics will surely turn out to be tough opponents.

“Finland are a very tough team to play against,” the Italian coach said.

“They are a very organised team who boast their physical strength as their main weapon. They boast some very talented players who are plying their trade in clubs who play in various top leagues in Europe so no doubt it’s going to be a great challenge for us.

“Finland are a team that can be really dangerous when operating on transition and have the players who are capable to make the most of their opponents’ weaknesses.

“But it’s important that we focus on ourselves and try to approach the match without any fear. We will need to try show that we have an identity of play and take the field with a positive mindset.”

De Leo said that he prefers to keep his tactical plan close to his chest but said that they worked hard this week to ensure they can make the most of their attacking situations.

“We have worked really hard this week,” De Leo said.

“We have focused on the playing philosophy we would like to introduce. Among the areas we focused on was the construction of play and how we could have a numerical advantage over our opponents in key areas of the pitch.

“Tomorrow it’s going to be our first match and our goal is that to try and win. I want my players to have courage and play with a clear identity. The first indications look positive and I believe that we have a great margin of improvement.

“I firmly believe that our destiny is firmly in our hands and it’s up to us to play the best possible kind of football to return home with the best possible result.”

Newcomers

On his part, Malta midfielder Matthew Guillaumier said that he was pleased with the impact of new coach De Leo.

“It has been a very positive experience so far with our new coach,” Guillaumier said.

“There is great hunger among the players to learn this new playing philosophy and we are keen to continue to grow as a team.

“Our goal against Finland is very clear… we want to put on the pitch everything we have worked for this week and try to win the game. Obviously, not everything will come to place right from the first match and it’s going to be a long journey.

“But the most important thing is that there is a lot of hunger to improve.”

Among the players who are expected to make their debut for Malta are Wigan defender James Carragher and FC Sion winger Ilyas Chouaref.

Guillaumier said that the newcomers have adapted well into the group and is looking forward to share their experiences on the pitch.

“There is no doubt that they are two quality players who play at a very high level of intensity and will certainly give our team a huge lift,” Guillaumier said.

“They are very good characters from whom everyone can learn a lot as have gone through different experiences than ours.

“I am sure that they will be great contributors to our team.”