Sliema Wanderers and Gżira United will be looking to lay down a marker when the two neighbouring sides face off in the derby at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Wednesday evening (kick-off: 6.45pm).
The Blues and the Maroons head into the match on the back of a disappointing run of results, as Gżira United are still in search of their first win of the season after five matches, while Sliema picked up only two points in their last two outings despite holding a lead.
Gżira United coach Clive Mizzi said that given the squad overhaul at his club, it was normal that his team needs time to click into gear.
“When you change the whole team, like we did in the summer, it doesn’t mean that you will get good results straight away,” Mizzi said.
“When there’s an overhaul, it’s normal that there will be a transition. Football is about collecting as many points as possible.
“I’m delighted with the way things are evolving. The table doesn’t look nice, but in the matches we’ve played, we’ve had good moments and I believe that the players deserved more points.
“I’m positive that with hard work and serenity, without adding extra pressure, we will get our rewards. I’m looking forward to Wednesday’s match.”
Mizzi said that putting extra pressure on his players is unlikely to reap the desired dividends.
“We must use our brains to manage matches better, and we’re working on that,” the former Melita coach said.
“Football is about maturity and transmitting the work done during the week into those 90 minutes. This is not the time to put pressure on the players, otherwise the team will crumble.
“That said, we don’t ignore the value of points, which remain the most important thing.
“Against Marsaxlokk our performance was very poor, but against Ħamrun we improved a lot.
“Now on Wednesday against Sliema, we must build on our performance against Ħamrun.”
Gżira United skipper Gabriel Bohrer Mentz said that they are desperate to chalk up their first league win of the season against Sliema.
“We’re still chasing that first win,” Mentz said.
“For now, we’re satisfied with some of the draws against difficult teams, but we’re determined to get three points, starting against Sliema on Wednesday.
“One particular moment can change a game, and I believe our performances don’t really reflect our position in the table.
“What we need is that killer instinct to turn draws into wins.
“Sliema are a very organised team, but our morale is good.
“We gave a strong effort in the last match, we fought hard, and we know that to win, we’ll need to keep working with maximum effort.”
Sliema Wanderers head into the match after back-to-back draws against Birkirkara and Valletta. In both matches, the Blues threw away commanding leads and had to settle for a point.
Coach Paul Zammit said that there is no cause to panic and they need to be patient.
“You need time for a team to gel,” Zammit said.
“In all four of our opening matches, there was a clear pattern: we created chances to extend our lead but struggled to close out games.
“Against Birkirkara, it was a match of two halves. We dominated the opening 45 minutes, but in the second half, the team failed to perform.
“Against Valletta, we dominated and still saw the win slip away in the last 10 seconds.
“What we need is more personality, stronger mental resilience during key moments.
This season, there’s a lot of balance; all clubs have strengthened and the gap between teams is narrowing.”
The Sliema coach said that it was important that his players believed more in themselves.
“I’m proud of my players because they’ve shown character in certain situations, but in others we’ve been hindered by episodes that cost us points,” Zammit said.
“I take full responsibility for the summer signings, but I don’t agree with the narrative that only we made changes; every club has improved and is showing quality football.
“The real challenge is the mental block of dropping points in matches we should win, like against Birkirkara and Valletta.
“We don’t feel pressure, but we do carry responsibility.”
On his part, midfielder Steve Pisani said the Blues were desperate to showcase their strength.
“Gżira are a very tough side, but our aim remains the same, to take all three points,” the Malta midfielder said.
“We’re still a new team with several additions, and while I’m not disappointed with our performances, the results in the last matches have been frustrating.
“I’m confident in the potential and depth of this squad to take us where we want to be.
“Expectations are high, and I know some people thought that beating Żabbar 2-1 and Tarxien 1-0 wasn’t good enough for Sliema.
“But the reality is that all teams have raised their level, and you have to dig deep to win matches.
“We need to turn this anger and disappointment into extra motivation for the games that follow”.
