Ribas and Ochello name their initial squads for September internationals

Both Julio Ribas, the Gibraltar senior national team head coach, and David Ochello, the Gibraltar U21 national team head coach, announced their respective squads for the forthcoming internationals.
As expected, with an emerging crop of young talents, the Under-21 squad was influenced by the senior squad selection, with some key players now moving into the senior ranks. Jaiden Bartolo, Liam Jessop, and James Scanlon received call-ups to the senior team. The three youngsters are playing in the UK, with Bartolo currently at Wycombe Wanderers, Jessop at Chesterfield, and Scanlon with Manchester United.
Among the notable absences is Kianan Ronan, who last weekend suffered a head injury and remains uncertain to play. Another absence is that of Roy Chipolina, who has taken a step back from football after a very successful career that saw him become one of the “legends” of Gibraltar football.
The return of both Graeme Torrilla and Julian Valarino, after a prolonged absence last season due to injury, will bolster the Gibraltar national squad, which will be looking to repeat their success in Division D of the Nations League. One of the youngest squads named by Julio Ribas, the 23-man squad that will face Andorra and Liechtenstein includes only Lee Casciaro, Liam Walker, and Joseph Chipolina as players remaining from the squads that transitioned from Gibraltar’s amateur days into the UEFA/FIFA membership era.
Now, just over a decade since Gibraltar arrived on the international stage, most of the players named in the latest squad would have been playing in youth teams when Gibraltar played their first official internationals. Some of these players have already made their way through football abroad. Players such as Tjay De Barr, who has played in both Spain and England, are now joined by Nicholas Pozo, who transitioned from having played most of his youth football with Cadiz to now making a return to Gibraltar. Jayce Olivero also experienced European football leagues, having played in Denmark, while players such as Louie Annesley spent most of their youth careers in the UK with a brief spell in Gibraltar. Annesley played for Blackburn youth teams and is now with Braintree Town.
Evan De Haro has risen through the ranks at Algeciras, while Dayle Coleing has played with Glentoran. The most recent transition from Gibraltar football to playing abroad is Ayoub El Hmidi, who moved to play for AS Gabès in Morocco. With players such as Bartolo, Scanlon, and Jessop now playing in England, and with the experience of players like Walker, who played in England, Spain, and Greece in the early years, Gibraltar’s new era of players is far removed from the amateur experience fielded a decade ago. However, having tasted success in the Nations League with promotion from League D already achieved once, their return to League D will see them under greater pressure to repeat their success.
A tough campaign in the Euro qualifier group matches, which initially saw some good results, albeit with defeats, was later marred by the heaviest defeat they had faced, with France scoring fourteen goals. Gibraltar’s response, however, has seen them bounce back in part and rise in the rankings. Their most recent results saw them hold a much-fancied Wales to a scoreless draw.
With less than a week to go, and with eight of the players in the squad playing Conference League play-off matches for Lincoln Red Imps, the Gibraltar team enters the international campaign this season with more minutes under their belt than in recent years. With the Gibraltar league already in its third matchday, and with players abroad already seeing their teams in action, the valuable additional minutes of competitive football should see them better prepared for competition at what is a crucial time for Gibraltar football.
With the Under-21s also having come away with some positive results before the summer break, Gibraltar will be looking to maintain the momentum that has somewhat put behind them the sour taste of heavy defeats by the likes of France and the Netherlands. As Gibraltar prepares to play teams at a similar level to themselves over the next few months, it will be an opportunity for players to demonstrate their talents on a more balanced and level playing field.
In contrast to the past year, Gibraltar will be entering the Nations League group matches as one of the favorites for promotion, something that will add pressure on the team but should also provide them with the opportunity to put recent past results behind them.