Abdilla in rescue mission at Gżira United
Floriana are the new leaders of the YoHealth Malta Premier League after securing their third win in a row in the space of a week, while champions Ħamrun Spartans and Valletta are following just behind, a point adrift.
Sliema Wanderers were humbled by lowly Naxxar Lions to see their hopes of securing a Top Six berth suffer a major blow.
Clive Mizzi became the second Premier League coach to lose his job after tendering his resignation at Gżira United after the Maroons suffered a 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals Żabbar St Patrick.
The Times of Malta Sportsdesk looks at the major talking points after MatchDay 7 from the YoHealth Malta Premier League.
Three in a row for Floriana
Floriana maintained their rich vein of form when they secured a third win in a row after despatching Mosta 1-0 to go one point clear at the top.
Daniel Portela’s Greens are showing signs of being a very solid outfit who are capable of adapting to the different challenges their matches have offered so far.
The team’s excellent showings take on further significance when one considers that the club’s administration has made numerous changes to the squad since last season.
Floriana’s success of late has been epitomised but the huge work ethic of their players, who are managing to outwit their opponents with their high intensity throughout the 90 minutes.
Against Mosta, Floriana struck in the first part of the match and managed to keep their opponents at arm’s length to bring home a very important victory.
However, Floriana’s title credentials will be severely tested in the next month as they have four direct encounters against title contenders in the form of Hibernians, Birkirkara, Ħamrun Spartans and Sliema Wanderers that will give evidence on whether they can last the distance.
Sliema’s woes laid bare by Naxxar Lions
Sliema Wanderers were given a reality check by lowly Naxxar Lions after suffering a humiliating 4-0 defeat on Sunday night.
Paul Zammit’s team have been showing signs of uneasiness in recent weeks which saw them throw away valuable points from matches they were expected to win.
A case in point was their 2-2 draw against a Birkirkara side who played the whole second half with a player less.
They were then pegged back at the death by a resilient Valletta side and concerns were raised over the team’s ability to have the mental resilience to see off matches.
A 2-0 win over Gżira United might have allayed those fears, but Sunday’s capitulation inevitably has turned the heat on Zammit and his players.
Against the Lions, Sliema may have dominated the early exchanges but once they regaled the opener to Naxxar, the team struggled to produce any reaction.
The approach of the team has to be questioned, as it’s unacceptable that a team of that stature completely falls apart defensively, with the Naxxar forwards capitalising on the acres of space granted by the offensive-minded Blues.
The defeat left Sliema in fifth place on 11 points, one ahead of Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk, and their Top Six ambitions are in jeopardy unless a significant improvement is seen.
Next up is a much tougher clash against Ħamrun Spartans and a significant improvement is needed if they are to harbour hopes of taking a crucial win.
Gżira United recall Abdilla
Gżira United became the second team to opt for a coaching change when on Sunday they accepted the resignation of Clive Mizzi and yesterday they brought back Darren Abdilla with the main task of reviving the team’s season.
Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to lowly Żabbar St Patrick epitomised Gżira United’s disappointing campaign so far as the Maroons failed to fire in any of their seven outings so far this season and it was clear that the players were struggling to put into practice their coach’s instructions.
The return of Darren Abdilla is no guarantee that results will change quickly at Gżira United as the Premier League club are struggling at both ends of the pitch.
Gżira United have shipped in 12 goals in seven matches, the second-worst record in the division, while in attack, they have only managed four goals, the lowest in the division so far.
Abdilla has a huge task on his hands, but the fact that he has vast knowledge of the club’s set-up will help the team get off to a fast start in their next fixture, which pits them against another struggling side, Mosta, on Thursday.
In fact, for Abdilla, this will be his third spell at the club, but surely he is facing the toughest job yet.
Abdilla must start working hard with the players to try and iron out the clear tactical flaws that has been hampering their progress so far this season.
