Sport 14/07/2002

Can Valletta rekindle their fire?

Ray Abdilla, on Valletta chances of winning the title

Dennis Fenech has never been afraid of making the odd bold statement or two. He has proved he is not afraid to voice his feelings in public.

And he has shown no sign of giving up since leading Senglea Athletics into the First Division last season and later taking up Valletta as coach substituting Georgi Deanov.

Fenech's latest claim (see interview on page 24) - is that with a little bit of luck Valletta could be fighting for the title along with great rivals B'Kara, Sliema and Hibernians.

That came after he initially set his sights on leading his men into pole position following last season's disastrous season by their standards.

But - perhaps more importantly - what City fans think of his claim is unclear.

Ask most of the Citizens faithful what they will be happy with from next season, and the majority will probably shrug their shoulders mutter the words "a place in Europe" and pray for some joy in their two "new derbies" against Birkirkara.

But Fenech does not seem content with that, and there is a fear he could be setting himself up for a fall.

By raising the expectations of everyone at the Salinos– board and fans included – to such a level, the former Senglea coach could be writing his own downfall.

Because anything but a top-four finish could now be regarded as a failure by the committee, who hold Fenech's future in their hands.

Fenech undoubtedly has a talented side at his disposal and although cash stricken this summer, he only sold one player, Jeffrey Chetcuti and in return got the stylish Bogdanovic. But the simple truth is he does not have a squad capable of lasting a season as genuine title contenders.

I hope I am wrong because Valletta is one of the more watch-able of soccer teams on the Island.

To win the league Valletta would have to fight it out with heavyweights like Sliema Wanderers, Hibernians and Birkirkara.

The City side have a very good players who can certainly make a good impression, but to describe them as unbeatable, like they were a couple of seasons ago is not very close to the truth.

The twinkling toes of Daniel Bogdanovic and the youngsters set the pre-season and Intertoto competition alight this season, but things are different in the Premiership.

How the midfield maestro will cope with the likes of Joe Brincat and Antoine Zahra breathing down their necks remains to be seen, but they certainly won't find things easy.

Ernest Barry – installed again to the City goalkeeping ranks – remains a consummate professional and a man with an unmatched desire to win.

But there were more than a few signs last season that this is man is no longer Malta's greatest goalkeeper.

A dominant presence? Yes.

But at the same time Valletta are lucky to have another good goalkeeper, Sean Sullivan.

Further forward, Fenech has got Marc Gilbert Agius and Chris Oretan.

But the latter has already shown some signs of uneasiness with the Citizens.

That is why I find it hard to expect City to do too well this season. There are too many unanswered questions.