De Leo: “We Must Show Our Personality and Play With Conviction”

Malta national team head coach Emilio De Leo and goalkeeper Henry Bonello addressed the media earlier today, on the eve of the European Qualifier for WC 2026 against Finland.

De Leo acknowledged the strength of their Nordic opponents, describing Finland as “a strong team with good physical structure, strong in rhythm, transitions, and counter-attacks.”

“Our main objective,” said De Leo, “is to manage the game, to try to control possession and showcase our technical qualities. We’ll be facing a solid Nordic side, good especially in closing spaces, so we must be ready to show our personality, read the physical duels, and impose our game plan.”

The Italian coach rejected the notion that Malta’s last international window was a disappointment.

“In terms of results, yes, it was not ideal,” he said. “But we should not judge our progress only by results. We have to focus on improvement and our journey as a team. If you look at the September window, the matches against San Marino and Lithuania were good performances that offered both positive indications and lessons from our mistakes. Balance is important — both in good moments and in difficult ones.”

De Leo emphasized the importance of maintaining belief and determination, especially when facing higher-ranked opposition.

“This is an opportunity to face big teams, and we must take advantage of it. We are not victims, nor do we enter the match thinking our destiny is already written. We have to play until the final whistle, showing that we work with seriousness and commitment. It will be a very complicated game, but even in these two upcoming difficult matches, we can still do well, and we will try until the end.”

Meanwhile, veteran goalkeeper Henry Bonello echoed his coach’s message of optimism and perspective.

“I don’t think the last window was a bad one,” Bonello said. “Yes, we didn’t get the results we wanted, but we are on the right path — in terms of our playing style. Against Bosnia, we created several chances and the result wasn’t truly reflective of our performance. If we are more aggressive and take our chances, we can be in a better position.”

Looking ahead to the match, Bonello added that the team remains focused and motivated.

“We are looking forward to playing a good game and hopefully achieving a positive result. The playoffs in March will be an important target, and we hope to reap the rewards of our work then.”

Malta will face Finland tomorrow, at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium (kick off 18:00 CET).  The match will be live on TVM Sport+