Ayrton Azzopardi, Terence Vella in 18-man squad for Czech Republic
Antoine Busuttil | Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 | 40 Comments »
National coach Pietro Ghedin named Hibernians midfielder Ayrton Azzopardi and Hamrun Spartans striker Terence Vella in the final eighteen-man squad for next Friday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic at the Doosan Arena in Plzen.
While Vella’s inclusion was expected due to the absence of two key strikers, the inclusion of Ayrton Azzopardi comes as a major surprise considering that the promising Hibs youngster is yet to play is yet to make a first start for the Paolites in the Premier League.
He was only included as a substitute twice this season in the games against Rabat and Mosta and three times last season.
Terence Vella, on the other hand, was the leading scorer for the Under-21 side in the past Under-21 qualifying campaign, scoring five goals in ten matches.
Ghedin could not count on Valletta midfielder Ryan Fenech, Mosta’s Daniel Bogdanovic and Hibernians striker Andrew Cohen as they are all ruled out injured.
Apart from the injured Andrew Cohen, the other players to be dropped from the provisional squad were Henry Bonello, Joseph Zerafa, Edmond Agius and Julian Galea. Canada-based Etienne Barbara was not even included in the provisional squad after he was retained on the bench in the games against Armenia and Italy.
The squad which will travel to the Czech Republic on Wednesday, via Vienna, is therefore made up of:
goalkeeper Justin Haber (Mosta), Andrew Hogg (Enosis Neon Paralimini);
defenders Andrei Agius (Latina), Steve Borg (Valletta), Ryan Camilleri (Hibs), Jonathan Caruana (Valletta), Luke Dimech (Mosta), Edward Herrera (Birkirkara), Alex Muscat (Sliema);
midfielders Ayrton Azzopardi (Hibs), Shaun Bajada (Valletta), Roderick Briffa (Valletta), Paul Fenech (Birkirkara), John Mintoff (Sliema), Gareth Sciberras (Birkirkara);
forwards Michael Mifsud (Valletta), Andre Schembri (Omonia Nicosia), Terence Vella (Hamrun).
Photo: Copyright © Joe Borg / MFA
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Malajr ghadietlu micheal mifsud l-injury li kellu!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ml insaqsi mistoqsija wahda? min fej rah jilab lil ayrton azzopardi…nahsbe andu xi qaddies jitkelimnu….ma jilabx mal hibs u jilab man nazjonal..u haluwna naqqa sewa namel ma nsegwix lil malta….7
Jekk Azzopardi ma jilghabx mat team tal kbar tal Hibs ma jfissirx li hu nieqes mil loghob ghax jilghab regolari mal minors u Ghedin seta rah jilghab hemm. Dan hu cans ghaz zaghzagh biex jigu promossi ghat teams tal kbar! Fiz zmien Dobrev, fejn Malta kella prestazzjonijiet sbieh, kienu jissejhu players anki mit tielet divizjoni, biex wara dawn il players gew akkwistati min clubs kbar. Kien Dobrev li skopra hafna players bhal Michael Woods, Chris Laferla u Jeffrey Chetchuti meta dawn kienu fil bidu tal karriera taghhom. nahseb Ghedin jaf x inhu jaghmel. Ghamel zmien fis settur taz zaghzagh ta l Italja.
League tal Minors section A ghadu l anqas biss beda… Nahseb l Azzopardi rah jilghab fil playstation !!
Ton, minors u mhux xorta jilghab qieghed. Iz zaghzagh ftit qed ikollhom cans jidhlu fil premier minhabba l players barranin u l pressure tal coaches biex jirbhu l unuri.
Does Azzopardi play regular football? So how come he is with the squad? If he doesnt even play with Hibs senior squad regularly, how come he was preferred?
FOOTBALL CHOICES ARE SURELY WITH DOUBTS !!!
Ghedin kien jazel players li jgibulu il Laham! Fi zmien meta kien coach!! Tihdu Xejn bi kbir… Alkem irrid Nuri rispet lejn Dan iz zaghzugh Imma li ghazel il siehbu Bezzina kienet taghmel sens iktar!!!
fej rah jilab lil azzopardi? fuq football manager jew?
int wisq probabli anke jekk rajtu jilab xorta kont tmaqdru…as semplici raguni li hu player tal-hibs
u le imbad pleyers bhal hutchonson u manny muscat u barbara ma jtelamomx kif tridna nimxu
before you talk trash about ayrton azzopardi, may i ask you some questions..did you ever seen him play? do you even know anything about him at all? and do you think you know more than an expert coach like ghedin knows? isn’t it better to congratulate the youngster for making it into the senior squad and wish him well..
Ayrton Azzopardi U Terence Vella? Kurjuża ħafna l-biċċa.
Azzopardi played for Hibs already 4 times this season. Its about time we see some new faces. Well done coach. The youths are our future.
Sorry but I think choosing azzopardi is a big mistake! Good that Vella is chosen maybe we should look at other players from the under 21′s
You said that choosing Azzopardi is a big mistake without explaining why! So please, profs, can you explain WHY!
at least he is trying to put some young faces in the team eg its not the first time i have seen it either i remember in 97 watching australia playing a match and seeing a 17 year old in the team which no one knew at the time who he was his name was harry kewell. my point is if a coach has put an 18 year old who has only made some appearances in the premier league as a sub he must see something special in the kid so dont criticise just yet. if azzopardi does well it can only benefit him and malta as european clubs are always on the hunt for young players especially ones that are showing their talent on the international level at a young age. i also hope he starts including more youngsters in next few games so they can get experience with the likes of mifsud bogdanovic dimech while they are still around
forza malta
Dear Mr. Observer Shut and give the youngster a chance, After all they are our future and every maltese star player started at a young age with the national team. thanks
Ma nafx kif lil Manny qed ihalluh barra, sa kemm ma talabx hu habba li kienu qed igibuh mil Awstralja ghal xejn! Jekk hu il-kaz jaghmel sew ma jigix. Ghalija player tajjeb hafna – fl A league dejjem bi prestazzjonijiet tajbin jkun u min ra l-highlights vs Sydney FC jaf x qed nghid.
RE E.barbara jidirli li kellu xi inj fil bidu tas season u ma kienx qed jilghab kwazi xejn mal-club… – Hassra ghax is-sahha li joffri hu fuq l-attakk l-ebda attakkant iehor Malti ma jipposjedi… Kieku ara x tandem dak ma’Mifsud – E.B jiggieled u jnizzel il-blalen ghal Mifsud u Schembri!
Nahseb iz-zaghzugh tal-Hibs support u inkoraggament ghandu bzonn –
Prosit lil T.Vella ukoll.
give the young lads a chance i think its refreshing to see them in the squad and the team as a whole have improved big time still short of goals but i think that will come the group malta are in is one of the hardest group ive seen malta in for years so lets take this chance to bring in the younger players to play against some of the worlds best.
There are 3 players applying their trade in the Australian A-League. These players were all very solid playing fot their clubs last weekend. Manny Muscat was instrumental in his new role as a midfielder. His passing game was excellent and setup both goals for his team. John Hutchinson is now the captain of his club and a solid midfielder who never plays a bad game. Mitchell Mallia a young 19 year old who I believe has a maltese passport, played upfront with Alessandro Del Piero and his skill and pace is a strength. He will only get better while playing along Del Piero. I hope Ghedin is aware of these players and should be considered. I understand that Australia is on the other side of the world, but professional players can handle these challenges.
Ghedin qed jaghmel ix xoghol tal coaches lokali li qed ihallu z zaghzagh fuq il bank minhabba players barranin u l pressure li ghandhom biex jirbhu l unuri! Qatt hsibtu x ser jigri wara Michael Mifsud u Luke Dimech? Dawn issa qed jikbru, u ghalkemm fadlilhom x jaghtu iz zmien ma jzommu hadd! Mela hallu x xoghol f idejn min jaf jaghmlu u mhux kulhadd jilghaba ta xi football expert!
ayrton player tajjeb hafna , fil league tal minors kulhadd jaf xkapaci jamel , u mal hibs il kbar meta dahal dejjem lghab tajjeb . u jekk fit training il ghedin ogbu andu id dritt li jtelaw ma malta ! xandu inqas min players ohra jekk huwa kapaci jilab, jilab ux !
Full name Mitchell Daniel Mallia
Date of birth 22 March 1992 (age 20)
Place of birth Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Sydney FC
@ Ghost – nsieh habib ghax ga laghab ma’ l-AUS U23! Ma nafx kemm jista’jkun eligibli.
Dan ix-xoghol ta’scouting missu ilu s-snien isisr (bis-serjeta’)Min jaf x hemm l-Ingilterra, u l-US ukoll!
Mitchell Daniel Mallia – Sydney FC
Number 14
Youth career
St. Pats
AC United
Southern Districts
Macarthur Rams
Marconi Stallions
2009–2011 Central Coast Mariners
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2010–2011 Central Coast Mariners 1 (0)
2011– Sydney FC 6 (1)
National team‡
2007 Australia U-17 5 (2)
2012– Australia U-23 1 (0
I think it would have made much more sense if Ghedin called up under 21 players. Im not downgrading azzopardi’s talent that he must surely have but i think players like Bjorn Kristensen (who is a mainstay in the Hibs squad and impressed in his first senior outing) or Mark Scerri would be much better as they already have a lot of experience in the premier league. By that Ayrton Azzopardi would be chosen for the under 21 side where he will gain experience which will ultimately get him in the senior squad.
just heard that francis jeffers an ex liverpool fulham keeper are in talks with floriana
Biex nikkritikaw l ewwel niehdu kieku! ..Raheem Sterling ta 17 il sena jintaghzel mal inglizi meta jkun ghadu laghab biss 2 loghbiet f hajtu ma L pool ..Tiftakruh lil Walcott fil WC 2006 hadd ma kien jaf min fejn inqala ..Jekk qatt ma rajtuh jilghab lil Azzopardi ma nafx kif tistghu taghtu verdetti bla sens ..Good Luck Ayrton u Well done Ghedin!
It is very encouraging, for all Maltese football prospects, to see youngsters being called up to the senior national team.
I do not see why many of you are criticizing Mr.Ghedin’s selection. If you look at all the established players in our senior side, you will not fail to notice that we have an aging squad.
We need to introduce youngsters to our game, just like all other European countries do nowadays (England: Rahim Sterling, Italy: Mattia Destro, Lorenzo Insigne to name a few). And for those of you eager to to jump and say “Kif tista’ tqabbel lill-Insigne ma Vella”, there is an obvious a difference in quality between these players, but relatively, the concept is the same. Teams need to build for the future.
True Maltese football supporters should be happy to see this kind experimentation, and credit to Mr.Ghedin who is after all taking a huge risk by calling up such youngsters. This is the stuff true coaches are made of.
If we keep playing with the same players and tactics for decade after decade, then let’s get Cikku from the street to manage our national team, because anyone can call on the same players game after game.
Coaching is not just about winning the next game, it is also about building a good squad for the future, having an eye for potential talent, utilizing available players in the best possible manner and also trying gain an edge over your opponent in order to we get an eventual result…and this is Mr.Ghedin’s job.
Sorry to say, but those of you who claim to know football and do not know the basics mentioned above are one of the reasons why Maltese football has failed to progress in the last 10-20 years.
I believe in the talent that we have, albeit very limited. And if we can all learn to support the national team a bit more and criticize a bit less…we’d be doing ourselves a favor.
Forza Malta!
Well said!
Ma nafx ara vera Maltin ahna .. nikritikaw nigudikaw bladdocc .. Kif tista tajjar dan il player hekk qatt ma rajtu jilghab?? . Lil Ayrton nafu personali teknikament wiehed mil ahjar li hawn f Malta .. Ghandu mohh u veloci ejja nalqu naqra halqna u nhalluh jikber . Idisgustat b certu nies kif jaqbdu jfajru u jghidu fuq nies li qas biss jafuh .. ejja nigbdu habel wiehed u nissaportjaw lil dawn iz zewg zaghzagh ha jgibu il futbol Malti iktar il quddiem .. M ghandi l ebda dubji b talent tieghek Azzi !!! Urijom x taf !!!!
kif issib min imaqdar kollox u sinjal li coach ghazel lil dawn players zaghzagh ghax ra xi potenzjal fijom u mhux l-ewwell darba li grat din haga ghax meta horse heese kin coach ta malta kien ghazel lil reggie cini u lanqas kien jilab mal belt u kulhadd jaf il karriera li kellu umbad. jien mhux ghax ghazel lil dawn zewg zaghzagh nmaqdar imma li tara pleyers barranin bic citadinazza maltija jilabu fil kampjonat malti umbad ma tarax xi wiehed minhom jilab ghal malta basta jihdu post zaghzagh.
I am sure that an expert coach like Ghedin knows what he is doing.Results and performances under his guidance speak for themselves.So let him get on with his job and shut up.
Nawgurawlu lil Ayrton min qalbi….. Imma biex nghid kollox ta dik leta jekk huwa player li jaghmel diferenza ga suppost qied regolari ma team tal hibs avolja ta eta zghira bhal ma kien mifsud, sterling u messi!!! 2 jekk vera ta livel u qabes under 21 itelaw mal kbar u jilghabu ghax inkela nispicca nghid li hemm xi hadt qed jipuxjah biex jaghmilu name….ghax graw hafna hekk…awguri lil PLAYERS MALTIN u lil AYRTON…biex jati risposta ghax sinjal li huwa ta livel ta ghazlu Ghedin!
Well Done to Ayrton! It’s a massive milestone for him and young maltese footballers!
However, i think the senior team has come too soon for him. Ive seen him play and i can tell you that he is a great player! But…the talent pool is much greater than u think! There are are 17,18 and 19 year olds who get called up and play regularly for the under 21 national team and who play week-in, week-out in the premier league! I believe that if Ghedin wanted to introduce youth players, there are many more playersthat deserved a call up!
Insomma, hopefully Ayrton will score on his debut against the Czechs
L-inglizi taht erikson kienu telaw lil theo walcott ghal world cup final ma 23 plejer fejn sa dak iz zmien kien ghadu ma laghab qatt ma l-arsenal fil-premier league ingliz u hadt ma kien jaf bih ..
Mid dehra hawn xeba beltin jitkelmu !!! mhux ahjar naraw il loghba l ewwel imbad tkelmu !! hux mhux ahjar taraw taghkhom , anqas biss hemm tifel belti fliskwadra taghkhom , insomma ejja inkunu onesti hemm wiehed !!! mhux ahjar taraw in nursery prekarja taaghkhom !!! no money no party !!!! u ghandkhom wiehed ghax , tiddejqu tnehhuh !!!
on regards to mitchell mallia from sydney fc is still eligible i rememember a while ago reading on the times that zazu was trying to get information on him. in the australian media mallia is seen as a young star of the a-league so i just hope that the mfa tries to look more in to this player another player they should look at is adrian zahra who this year is on perth glorys books. he is a winger who has a lot of speed and can also score goals and also makes them.
I am not discouraging Azzopardi or saying anything bad about him, good on him for making the team you have to be good to play with the A’s. I am just saying MY OPINION (doesnt mean it is right) is that we should call up players who have played in the under 21′s or even 19′s who have had a taste of playing international football and if possible players who play requarly for their clubs. Good luck to all the boys
And also I agree on looking at the Maltese aussies. There is also Vince Lia from Wellington Phoenix other than those mentioned above, but personally I dont think he is that good to play for Malta.
In my opinion Manny Muscat should definantly be called up I live in Australia so I have seen him play he is a great player who is good at setting up goals and keeps the ball in posession. Also dangerous on the corners.
The other two I think we should seriously look at are Mitch Mallia and Adrian Zahra. I havent seen Mallia play but to me Zahra seems worth a look.
Also players to note are Vincenzo Camilleri who plays with Reggina and Sam Magri with QPR, both are still very young and should both be looked at!
FORZA MALTA
@ozmalt – If I am not mistaken the MFA did try to persuade Zahra, however I have the impression that he refused cause he doesn’t feel any connections to Malta!
I’ve also found a GK;Paul Izzo dob 1995 – Adelide City
However one has to keep in mind that these players if chosen with the Aussies have a big chance to appear in major tournament such as the Asian Cup and the World Cup, a chance that with the MFA they will never have. Besides the fact that most of the doesn’t feel Maltese at all!